For example, HP's TopTools will function as a DMI management platform with DMI-compliant machines from other vendors, but it won't gather the same amount of information from other platforms as it will from HP Vectra or Kayak systems. Similar situations exist for customers who use the bundled tools on Compaq and IBM machines. The downside is that Tivoli and OpenView require expert integration, and not every growing company can afford to pay for this capability. Some users say they prefer this product to proprietary systems-management tools because it's easier to configure for use across multiple platforms and there's no guessing about how well it will work with different systems. LANDesk lacks the depth of system polling that proprietary packages have, and Montgomery admits that at some point, Info Matrix may outgrow the product.
Analysts expect more solutions to become emerging-enterprise friendly in the coming months.
Hardware makers will aim solutions at this space, as will integrators. MicroAge, for instance, plans to restructure its internal offerings to make the cost of implementing enterprise-management projects more palatable to small businesses. Harry Robinson, product marketing manager for solutions software at Gateway Inc., one of the top PC providers to small businesses, says it also plans new services to address users' management and integration needs. Help, it seems, is on the way.