GroundWork Monitor 5.3 Offers More Flash For Same Cash
Late last year, open source network and systems management software vendor GroundWork offered an early look at Groundwork Monitor 5.3 and requested feedback from the community. Now the official update has been released and it contains a number of enhancements, including an increase in the number of devices that can be managed by a single subscription -- all without an addtional price increase.
GroundWork Monitor is used by many large corporations like Bank of America and Porsche, so most of version 5.3's enhancements are aimed at complex IT environments. In fact, the company estimates that enterprise deployments make up almost half of its company base. The release, which updates all versions of GroundWork Monitor, includes:
Nagios 3.0.6 and upgrades to other key open source components, including MySQL, RRDtool, PHP and BIRT
Increased scalability by 50% - 100%, depending upon configuration
Enhanced maintainability via the BitRock Network Service, which notifies of available patches, updates, and technical bulletins
New operational intelligence reporting for enhanced capacity planning and bottleneck identification
More sophisticated scheduling and notification for multi-time zone data center operations
David Dennis, GroundWork's Senior Director of Marketing, says plans for future updates include support for users who are "building extensions and visualization tools on top of the GroundWork Monitor platform."
Company-provided estimates place the cost of GroundWork Monitor 5.3 at 80% - 85% less than its competitors, making it viable solution for businesses looking for open source solutions to solve budgeting issues. "Almost universally, IT operations budgets are being reduced. IT management tools are often part of this budget, as are personnel. If smart cost savings aren't made in IT management tools, IT departments are left vulnerable to mandated cost cutting in other areas, including personnel," says Dennis.
"With IT belt-tightening these days, a new spin on an old adage would be 'You can't get fired for buying IBM, but you might get laid off for it.'"