Ads by TechWords

See your link here
Receive the latest technology news and information.
Networking
Computerworld Daily News (First Look and Wrap-Up)
Computerworld Blogs Newsletter
The Weekly Top 10
Cloud Computing
View all newsletters




Privacy Policy
 

Network Associates launches network/security management software

The software is aimed at companies with fewer than 500 end users

August 26, 2003 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - Network Associates Inc. yesterday announced network and security management software aimed at small and midsize users that tops out in price at about half of what the company's enterprise-class products cost.
The new Netasyst Network Analyzer software is intended for management of 10/100 Ethernet installations and 802.11 wireless networks at companies with up to 500 end users, said Chris Thompson, vice president of product marketing at Network Associates in Santa Clara, Calif.
The new product can help users automate network and application problem resolution, and it will also provide IT managers with packet-level data about network performance and the functioning of firewalls, intrusion-detection and -protection systems and other security technologies, Thompson said.
Austin Bank began testing Netasyst early this month on a network that supports operations at 19 branch offices, said Jeff Sowell, a network engineer at the Jacksonville, Texas-based bank. The bank has already used the tool to monitor slow response times on a Microsoft SQL Server database application and to track an apparent network intruder, which turned out to be a telephone technician who was using the network for maintenance purposes without first notifying anybody at the bank.
Sowell looked at several network management products but liked the idea of using a tool from a well-known vendor. In addition, Netasyst turned out to be easy to use. "The expert network analysis is handy for somebody like me that doesn't do this everyday," Sowell said. "It makes any idiot pretty good at analyzing traffic."
Although Sowell is urging his managers to buy the software, that has not yet happened.
Network Associates is primarily known as a vendor of security software for large companies, said Stephen Elliot, an analyst at IDC in Framingham, Mass. But the network management market for smaller businesses is fragmented and not well served by management tools vendors such as IBM's Tivoli Software unit, Computer Associates International Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., Elliot said.
The closest competitors to Netasyst will be products from Ipswitch Inc. in Lexington, Mass., WildPackets Inc. in Walnut Creek, Calif., and Network Instruments LLC in Minneapolis, he added.
Netasyst relies on underlying technology that's used in Network Associates' enterprise-class Sniffer product line, Thompson said. But the new offering will be sold as software, whereas most of the Sniffer products are appliances that include both software and dedicated hardware.
Another distinction between the two product lines is that Netasyst won't work on Gigabit Ethernet networks or over WANs, Thompson said.
Pricing for the Netasyst software ranges from $1,395 to $6,590, compared with a $12,000price tag for the company's entry-level Sniffer Portable device.



Jump to comments

Networking

Additional Resources

WHITE PAPER
Approximately 60 percent of data migration projects overrun time or budget, while some fail completely. Download this white paper, "Enhancing Your Chance for Successful Data Migration," to learn the critical steps you need to take to execute a data migration project with minimum cost and risk to your business.
WHITE PAPER
Read the Gartner research note to learn why the TCO of a server-based computing deployment used to deliver all applications to users is around 50% lower than that of an unmanaged desktop deployment.
WHITE PAPER
Economic downturns have a tendency to accelerate emerging technologies, boost the adoption of effective solutions, and punish solutions that are not cost competitive or that are out of synch with industry trends. This IDC White Paper presents the results of an IDC survey of 330 companies in Western Europe, Asia/Pacific and the Americas that measures the receptiveness to Linux and takes into consideration changing views driven by the disruptive economic environment that businesses face today.

White Papers & Webcasts

Aligning IT to Business: The Rising Importance of Application Delivery Networks
Application Delivery Networking (ADN) will play a vital role in helping enterprises incorporate strategic technologies to achieve business initiatives.

Southern Company
Download Now  

Mitigate Risk, Lower Costs and Improve Network Efficiency
Create a stable IP network that not only meets today's challenges, but is flexible enough to also meet future demands.

Preparing Your Business Services for the Future
Would you trust your network monitoring tools enough to know when something is truly halting a business service?

Share our Strength
Download Now  

IPAM: Slashing Network Costs
Slashing Network Costs by Consolidating and Automating Core Network Services

Horror stories: Managing IT Across Multiple Locations
How one extra sharp IT manager eliminates daily agony, hassle and repetition.