Resonate software keeps an eye on Web site performance

SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - Resonate has unveiled a software suite designed to help companies deliver higher service levels to internal and external Web site users.

Resonate, once primarily focused on traffic management, says its Commander suite gives companies a single package for monitoring all the network devices and applications that can affect a Web site visitor's experience.

Not only can Commander reroute WAN and LAN traffic to improve Web site response time, as have past Resonate offerings, but it is designed to monitor application servers, manage database faults and perform fixes on certain problems that cause net slowdowns.

The software includes a policy engine that runs on a dedicated server, plus agents that are installed throughout the network to perform LAN and WAN traffic management. When service levels defined at the policy engine are not met, the software can take corrective action or alert net managers. All reports and alarms are accessible via a Web browser.

Where Resonate differs from more established management software companies, such as BMC Software, Tivoli Systems, Computer Associates and Hewlett-Packard, is that it focuses entirely on Web site performance, not just the ups and downs of particular network components.

"What has been happening in distributed management has been element-by-element management," says Tim Grieser, an analyst with IDC. "It's fairly new to be doing active service-level management."

A more direct competitor to Resonate is PeakStone of Sunnyvale, Calif.

Commander comes in three flavors:

Commander site, which performs network traffic monitoring and Web-based viewing in a single-site, single-server cluster network. It costs $75,000.

Commander business, which can be used to monitor a single Web site with multiple server clusters, offering several services. Business covers all the network elements connected to the Web site and costs $300,000.

Commander enterprise, which is WAN-based and designed for companies with several Web sites that need to be managed simultaneously. It costs $700,000.

Resonate: www.resonate.com

Contact Staff Writer Denise Dubie

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