Network change and configuration management provider AlterPoint on April 23 will build out its tool for managing heterogeneous network device configurations with several new applications that address the entire life cycle of network assets.
Network Authority 6, formerly Device Authority, is now a family of four products that provide automated analytics, compliance management, asset management and network vulnerability management.
All the new options are based on a refined version of AlterPoints Configuration Management Database, or CMDB, which maintains data on network assets, configurations and changes made. The real-time data is automatically discovered along with dependencies among network devices, users and services.
The aim of the new options is to move beyond network configuration management to provide what “amounts to a network governance solution,” said Scott Harmon, president and CEO of the Austin, Texas, company.
With the new options, network operators can share relevant data with other stakeholders including security, compliance and financial stakeholders.
“It allows network managers to make sure their network is compliant [with] to any … specification—government or industry regulations. As a security product, network managers …can make sure the network has no vulnerabilities, and as an asset management product, users …can make financial decisions about where they may be overspending or where they need to upgrade,” Harmon said.
Using the new NetworkAuthority Analytics product, network operators can gather data from the CMDB and create reports for different stakeholders, which can be viewed from a portal. The Analytics product also can also be used for capacity planning, to determine the impact of planned network changes before they are implemented and to streamline network troubleshooting.
Three optional modules, NetworkAuthority Compliance, NetworkAuthority Security and NetworkAuthority Lifecycle, are offered on a subscription basis. “The customer with an annual subscription gets the constantly updated content they need in those three areas,” said Harmon.
NetworkAuthority Security provides vulnerability management across multiple network vendors equipment. It detects and remediates for historical security threats and new security threats as they are updated in the subscription service. NetworkAuthority Compliance performs regular compliance audits, creates compliance scorecards and a dashboard, and allows for multiple regulatory mandates. NetworkAuthority Lifecycle maintains asset and configuration data, creates baseline configurations, and allows users to manage assets and maintenance as they age.
NetworkAuthority 6 is available now and is priced starting at $100,000.
