Start-ups aim to tame IT management complexity

"The service desk function and other support groups are always in search of data in real time during their troubleshooting activities. Logs, configurations, traps, alerts, script, codes, metrics and configuration details are all real data that can be extremely useful during the incident and problem management process, writes Evelyn Hubbert, senior analyst at Forrester Research in a recent report. "IT search engines can help gather data from a variety of sources and organize it into information chunks."

And Germany-based upstart DeskCenter Solutions promises to make client systems management easier by combining 15 applications into one software suite, which manages both physical and virtual servers and desktops. Cisco veterans came together to launch Windmill Networks, which offers its Integration Manager as a VMware virtual appliance. The software correlates, translates and reconciles information collected from multiple third-party management systems to highlight configuration inconsistencies between tools, which could prevent performance problems.

Another start-up launched by management industry veterans, RiverMuse, works to provide advanced event and fault management using an open source business model.  With vendors such as GroundWork, Hyperic (acquired by SpringSource which was later acquired by VMware) and Zenoss offering commercial support packages for their open source software, enterprise IT buyers can now adopt the flexible technology without worrying about support.

"Open source management is making a comeback because enterprises that dabbled with it before now can use the community-based model of open source software with commercial open source offerings," Gartner's Williams says. "No one should be snubbing their noses at the open source management applications available now. They are pretty robust technologies with huge communities adding adapters and commercial support offerings."

Do you Tweet Follow Denise Dubie on Twitter here.