Network World, 01/04/99

Network management is about to feel the power of the World Wide Web. For several years, the industry has been talking about how Web technology will push aside traditional network management, but it's only now becoming a distinct possibility.

Products using the Common Information Model (CIM) Version 2.0 specification and schema are expected within a few months. This means that management information from systems and networks can be collected and stored in the same way.

Add to CIM the Extensible Markup Language (XML), and management data can be presented over a Web interface in a standard fashion.

"CIM is for the Web-based era what SNMP was for the pre-Web era," says Jim Herman, vice president of Northeast Consulting Resources in Boston. "You still need SNMP to do polling and to know when something goes down. But SNMP will become a legacy protocol."

Data from SNMP sources, as well as data from desktop systems, can be collected using CIM. Applications will be better able to correlate data from desktops, network devices, servers and applications.

In addition, Herman suggests that the Web will allow management systems to connect to service providers and vendors, creating a "management intranet." In such a network, end users could find out how to solve problems by looking at the right help information on a vendor Web site. Companies would save money on help desk support, and end users would get answers right away.

Current Web-based management software is just the first step, says Stephen Elliot, an analyst at the Cahners In-Stat Group in Newton, Mass. "A lot of

vendors say they have Web-based management, but they really just put a browser on their software as a front end," he says.

SNMP platform vendors face a challenge in trying to demonstrate the value of their software to users. Cabletron recently took its first step in this direction by bundling its Spectrum platform with educational services. Cabletron hopes this will show users how to make the best use of the product.

As long as users remain perplexed by the platforms, though, the scores of start-ups developing their own tools have a chance.

Predictions: Products to manage Web activities will take off. Products adhering to the CIM stand-ard will give rise to a new generation of management applications that truly can help users with multivendor network and systems management.