Entuity raises visibility of network edge

Eye 5.0 from Entuity promises better network management for enterprises

Large enterprises that have moved to a converged network and now need to manage the edge of their network more efficiently could be tempted by version 5.0 of network management vendor Entuity's Eye of the Storm.

Entuity chief executive Michael Jannery said the new software would help firms who have deployed technologies such as IP telephony, wireless LANs (WLANs), and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS).

Eye 5.0 has a new connectivity viewer, new configuration change event manager and gives visibility into MPLS processes, manages firms' wireless connectivity and implements quality of service, according to Entuity.

"MPLS is a technology moving from the carrier market to enterprises, and our customers are seeing a lot of benefit from this, but we're not managing specific changes, we're just improving visibility," Jannery said.

To improve troubleshooting and also the mean time to repair, Entuity has included a quality of service (QoS) module. QoS details are logged in Eye's configuration management database, allowing users to graph performance over time. "Like MPLS, QoS is a black art: you swing a chicken over your head, throw salt over your shoulder and get it running properly and then make sure nobody touches it," added Jannery.

Entuity is now offering Eye on a subscription basis, but standard device-based pricing is still available for enterprises.

Eye of the Storm version 5.0 will be available in mid-November. Pricing for networks of

5000 devices would be about £1m, or around £40,000 for configurations of 50 devices.