Network and systems management technology suffers from a bit of a double standard. It is considered an essential tool in large enterprise IT shops -- so much so that most companies have multiple management packages -- but is often criticized as a static, dull technology that inspires little excitement among its users. The "I use it because I have to not because I want to" mentality. My take is that necessary and exciting don't need to be mutually exclusive adjectives when it comes to management technology.

To start, innovative new technologies -- wireless, virtualization, VoIP and Web 2.0 just to name some in the news today -- often demand management technology stay on top of the latest high-tech trends. It doesn't take a genius to realize if the network isn't working as promised, all the amazing applications you want to run on the network won't work either. What ensures the network performs up to expectations? In large part, management technologies do the heavy lifting of monitoring devices, systems and applications to keep IT staff informed of current conditions and in some case made aware of problems before they strike.

Another case for management technology being anything but outdated is the fact that makers of most types of management software must subject their products to periodic makeovers to keep them updated with the latest network gear and software applications. I am not saying all vendors do the best job staying on top of each and every change made by, say, SAP, but most work with their customers to support the major systems customers consider critical to doing business. Even if they don't roll out revamped releases several times per year, most major management vendors strive to say current.

And lastly, management technology is the one IT buy that truly holds the triple-threat promise of saved time, reduced costs and streamlined operations. It may not always deliver on its promise, but typically putting management technology in place frees up staff time on lower-level incidents, reduces downtime and helps IT implement best practice frameworks such as ITIL.

Note: This is the first blog under the Management Maven moniker. More on network and systems management can be read on Network World's Network and Systems Management Research Center and twice-weekly in the Network/Systems Management Alert.