IT Quality Assurance Tools

WINNER

Network Physics Incs. NP-2000

Network Physics NP-2000, a flow-based network analysis appliance, includes an impressive Business-Network Integration engine that lets enterprise IT managers quickly solve application quality control and network-readiness problems.

The NP-2000s hassle-free approach to data collection and granular presentation made it the category winner. The product provides an unintrusive way to collect and inspect Layer 4 data flows at the edge of the network in real time—and the NP-2000 is the only product in this category that does so. Using the BNI engine, IT managers can analyze network data in the context of business relationships.

The NP-2000s unique mapping capabilities enable IT managers to map relevant network data to traffic groups, business groups and group-to-group information flows and among business applications. IT managers can drill down into the collected data to find network issues and pinpoint problematic business services. Collected data is presented in a well-structured, granular manner to provide better visibility and helps eliminate false positives.

Although the cost of the NP-2000 would be prohibitive to smaller companies—the appliance has a starting price of $90,000, and typical deployments run into six-digit territory—the NP-2000 offers a powerful tool set for network troubleshooting and capacity-planning scenarios in large enterprises.

FINALISTS

Peregrine Systems Inc.s AssetCenter 4.3

Asset management is an important part of any enterprise companys cost reduction and consolidation strategies. Peregrines AssetCenter 4.3 provides a comprehensive package to help reduce management complexity in large enterprises.

The AssetCenter 4.3 portfolio earned finalist distinction because it not only provides a centralized repository of asset data but also ensures software license compliance across the organization and keeps tabs on changes using a reconciliation engine.

The products workflow tailoring capabilities allow companies to integrate best practices into asset management, and its innovative graphical editor makes tailoring new processes a snap.

ClearSight Networkss ClearSight Analyzer 3.0

ClearSight Analyzer 3.0 provides an intuitive Layer 7 analysis and troubleshooting tool for enterprise Web, e-mail, database and network administrators. Our judges liked its unique visualization capabilities, which eliminate the arduous chore of packet decoding. Information is presented in application flows for quick analysis.

With wide-ranging application protocol support and an affordable price—starting at $8,000—ClearSight Analyzer 3.0 is a step up from traditional sniffer products.

Excellence Awards Winners and Finalists:

• Analytics & Reporting
• Application & Web Services Development
• Customer Relationship Management
• Portals & Knowledge Management
• Desktop & Handheld Hardware
• e-Business Foundations
• Enterprise Collaboration & Messaging
• Enterprise Storage
• IT Quality Assurance Tools
• Personal Productivity
• Server Hardware
• Networking & Management Tools
• Networking Infrastructure
• Authentication & User Management
• Enterprise Resource Protection