A network management system (aka NMS) is a lot like a physical exercise regimen.
When it comes to exercise, first you get geared up and then invest into:
| 1. | A big expensive gym with a pool, racket ball courts, spinning classes, weight room, sauna, health food bar, inside running track, training professionals, etc. At $50 / month you get the whole enchilada or.... |
| 2. | A less expensive alternative is a small local gym with weights, a locker room, cardio room and maybe 2 racket ball courts for $15 / month. |
| 3. | Yours truly belongs to Gold's Gym. |
Network management systems (NMS) are similar to gyms, you evaluate the vendors, get excited, make a decision and buy what you hope will be a good decision.
Now that you have the product (i.e. a gym membership) all you have to do is attend the gym about 2-4 times per week.
With an NMS, you simply need to finish rolling it out and then some weekly or monthly general maintenance.
Why can't most of us keep up with the commitment?
We have all heard or used the many excuses.
The fact is, its human nature for many of us to procrastinate and put off what we don't want to do.
We all like the results and the recognition we can get from exercising at the gym, but like an NMS, it often gets neglected.
Whether you purchase a network management system product from CA Unicenter, EMC SMARTs, IBM Tivoli NetView or even the less expensive alternatives: SolarWinds Orion, WhatsUp Gold or the Plixer Scrutinizer, more motivation is not included with the product.
You have to stick with it to get results.
Network Management System with a higher investment:
 "Customers are asking us for more consistent management of information flows..." |
"EMC SMARTs can gather events and apply correlation to any component visible or virtual," said Howard Elias - President EMC Global Services and Resource Management Software Group and Executive Vice President of EMC Corporation.
Network Management System with a lower investment:
 "The traditional approach to problem-solving these enterprise-scale performance issues has come at a high cost and complexity," said Kenny Van Zant - Chief Product Strategist at SolarWinds. |
"With Orion Application Performance Monitor, we're continuing our strategy of delivering easy-to-purchase, easy-to-install and easy-to-use management software that is affordable."
The big expensive packages help with initial motivation, but given that we only use certain features, the less expensive alternatives can most certainly lead to the same results.
Ongoing work has to be done with a network management system (e.g. community string updates, IP address adds and changes, authentication issues, etc.) to keep it up-to-date and useful.
I only use the free weights and cardio machines when I go to the gym.
How about you?
Are you exercising your network management system?
| Cisco Power Supplies |
Brad Reese cofounded BradReese.Com Cisco Refurbished, which enables affordable networks globally by assuring customer satisfaction with guaranteed one year warranties on both Cisco Repair as well as Refurbished Cisco.
Don't be shy, contact Brad Reese online or call him Toll Free:
866-864-0506
International callers may wish to call Brad by dialing:
850-364-4115
The Leader in Network Knowledge
