When the network at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut went from supporting 200 to 1,500 end users, CIO Jim Olson needed a way to keep managing it without spending any more money.
The most obvious route would have been trying to squeeze more out of the company's 3-year-old Computer Associates Unicenter TNG framework, but the hospital instead took a more drastic course. It tore out a Unicenter system initially installed to manage more of a mainframe- and minicomputer-oriented network and replaced it with SilverBack Technologies' Infocare, which was more suited to handle the hospital's increasingly distributed, server-based environment.
Sure, the hospital had to shell out $40,000 for Infocare, but it also got to ditch $60,000 in annual Unicenter maintenance and support fees, resulting in an immediate savings of 33%.
The decision whether to keep or dump a management system is complicated, especially if the system has been highly customized or features agents distributed across hundreds or even thousands of devices. What's more, it's not easy to justify elimination of software that might have cost $500,000 or more. But network executives and industry watchers agree that replacing a management system shouldn't be overlooked as a way to reduce costs, optimize network performance and lessen the load for tight network/IT staffs.
"Some users simply outgrow their management products, and some tools never get completely implemented," says Dennis Drogseth, an analyst with Enterprise Management Associates. "But unlike in the past when tools' shortcomings may have been accepted or forgotten, network managers are now considering removing and replacing management software as a cost-cutting measure."
Olson is quick to point out that the hospital's network - which expanded from a pair of mainframes to six minicomputers and then 37 Compaq ProLiant servers - didn't outgrow Unicenter's capabilities. However, the hospital was finding it more difficult to operate Unicenter without additional training - training it could not afford.
"As we moved from mainframe to client/server, we upgraded Unicenter, but even with the effort we made to use it, we became more and more dissatisfied with the product," Olson says. "The Infocare functionality is not as rich as Unicenter, but for the small, financially strapped organization, it is an option."
| Rules of replacement Six simple steps to sail through software swapping. |
| Timing is everything Start thinking about replacing software when it’s time to renew your contract with your current vendor and you could potentially save in licensing fees. |
| Know your network Perform a full audit of all servers, devices and desktops. To replace software, you need to know what you already have and who’s using it. |
| Factor in training Consider training costs in the overall price of the software. If you have to keep staff updated regularly, the product might be more expensive than it’s worth in the long run. |
| Mix and match Don’t limit your network management options to one vendor. Many software providers recently reinvented their tools to work well with products from their competition. |
| Account for everything Don’t write off software you still have installed in your network. Just because you aren’t using it, doesn’t mean the vendor isn’t going to charge you for it. |
| Work with your vendor Don’t discount your current vendor’s desire to keep you as a satisfied customer. Many management software providers will work with you to get their product working in your network. |
Making the switch was relatively simple, taking about a week, Olson says. First his staff audited the network to find every instance of Unicenter running on servers and workstations, then uninstalled the scattered software from a central management location. The hospital and SilverBack got Infocare up and running across 120 managed devices in less than a week.
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