Ipswitch Software has just released the latest version of Whats Up Gold, a network management application designed for the mid-range consumer competing primarily with Solar Winds. The name of the game in network management software is simplicity and quick diagnosis of problems. Users care about a few key areas:
- Discovery, the ability to find everything in your network, quickly and efficiently;
- Performance, ensuring you can find everything in your network;
- Security, making sure there is no one trying to hack into your network.
Additionally, you want to make sure that the tools you are using are easy to use, have a good user interface and can help you get to the answers you need.
Whats Up Gold is a simple and robust tool that allows administrators to develop a strategy to implementing network solutions and follow through. The ability to have layer 2 discovery/maps available that also provide visibility into network traffic and bandwidth monitoring and a new feature for dynamic live maps that automatically update to reflect up-to-date virtual to physical associations at all times provide administrators with the tools to effectively handle their network topology.
The What's up Gold solution allows administrators to make sure they can protect their network infrastructure through FIPS 140-2 validation & encryption. Users also have an option for an executive view of performance and security of key enterprise assets all in one interface. It also has active directory or AD integration, leveraging industry-standard user storage access control and password management for easy deployment and management. Network administrators can also easily discover network traffic abnormalities with the Flow Monitor plug in.
After an administrator has a good handle on the strategy, deployment, and security of the network, the final challenge is mastering the monitoring of the network. Taking advantage of features such as layer 2 discovery/maps allows users to quickly deploy and update their overall network management schema. Additionally the new UI, in version 15, provides easier management capabilities and faster performance and also allows Whats Up Gold users to create specific groups for individualized management capabilities. Also, the Whats Up Gold technology provides administrators with dynamic maps that are updated as new devices are added into the network.
The other key component to the technology is flexible reporting and customization options. It is important to remember that the reason that this technology is necessary is to manage a business to success. Having the ability to align network traffic with line-of-business requirements allows administrators to build a level of success into the company's infrastructure. What's Up Gold is truly a mid-range technology with enterprise class features.
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