The company will introduce the service broadly by year's end and add support for additional IBM eServers in the coming months. By hitting buttons on a Palm Pilot, IT managers will be able to perform a number of key server support functions, including shutting down and restarting the system in the event of a failure. Managers will also be able to access information residing on databases and monitor storefront traffic if the server is being used to support an E-commerce Web site.
Administrators can even change the sale price on a product being sold online.
By March, IBM plans to release a version of Swap for cell phones and pagers. One user who's evaluating Swap says the application could be a boon to IT managers whose servers are hosted at co-located sites. Kumar says the software's interface appears to be very stable and easy to use. Swap will be particularly attractive to application service providers and other companies that want to put a lid on fast-growing IT costs, says Brad Day, a Giga Information Group analyst. Swap isn't just for IT personnel.