network pc inventory software

While academic research generally focuses on technicality of network management, articles published in trade magazines usually provide network management product information from the vendors’ perspectives (Tynan, 2005; Carlson, 2005; Wirbel, 2005). This type of commercial-oriented information generally focuses on the functionality of the network pc inventory software but offers little assistance on ‘how’ other network professionals manage their networks. Case studies, on the other hand, report the implementation, challenges, or lessons learned from a single company (Carr, 2005). The limitation of this type of information is that it is applicable to businesses of the same industry and often times with the same networking characteristics, such as size or complexity.

Although research firms such as Gartner Inc. and Forrester Research may conduct research on network management, their reports are generally focused on large corporations. For example, Forrester Research Inc. reported a study conducted with 430 senior information technology (IT) executives from large companies in the US and Europe. The study found that IT departments used management tools for specific areas (such as database management, network management, and server management), and the use of these tools created silos of information that made it difficult for the IT departments to cope with end-to-end monitoring. The study also found that 50 percent of IT problems related to application issues, such as poor performance, misconfiguration, and unpatched software (Saran, 2004). Although the findings of this study suggest common problem areas that network administrators should examine and analyze, the findings may not be applicable to medium to small businesses. In addition, the detail reports are usually beyond the reach of medium to small businesses due to their high costs.