NetQoS Enters SLA Territory

NetQoS Inc., a network performance management provider, has shifted gears to enter the SLA management realm with the latest release of SuperAgent, its tool for measuring response time.

SuperAgent Version 5 adds new service-level-agreement compliance monitoring and reporting, allowing network technicians and executives to quickly view the status of TCP-based applications performance.

SuperAgent 5 provides TCP/IP application performance management from the end-user point of view without requiring agents on end-user desktops.

SuperAgent 5 provides a simple executive view of SLA compliance across a range of TCP applications such as those from Oracle Corp., PeopleSoft Inc. and Citrix Systems Inc. and Exchange from Microsoft Corp. It also provides more detailed problem analysis for operations personnel.

Dual-level SLAs can be monitored based on criteria.

"The SLAs give a consolidated look at all our locations and allow me to see our busiest locations," said beta tester Jack Mendell, network analyst at Watkins Motor Lines Inc., in Lakeland, Fla. "We guessed at that before. Now we can decide what the circuits should be."

NetQoS, of Austin, Texas, added a new Application Barometer that can automatically determine what is normal performance for applications and notify operators when performance deviates from the norm.

"That lets us work more efficiently with the application developers, or we can go to our [WAN] service provider to see if there are ways to make improvements," said Mendell.

"We havent seen widespread implementation of service-level agreements because the tools havent been there," said Mike Magri, NetQoS SuperAgent product manager. "The Application Barometer gives you normal levels to apply an SLA."

The SLA reporting brings NetQoS into competition with vendors such as InfoVista S.A., Compuware Corp. and Mercury Interactive Corp., said Steve Hultquist, an analyst at Enterprise Management Associates Inc., in Boulder, Colo.

The new release is available now, and pricing starts at $34,500.