Instead, systems and network-management vendors now link their tools in a meaningful way. In turn, that's made it possible for companies such as JetForm to centralize management within one console. That's not to say it's simple. In fact, JetForm had to implement some tough managerial tactics to succeed, as well as win vendor cooperation. Every JetForm device had to conform to a specific set of standards dictated by the company's IS managers.
Every new office gets the same suite, from server software to hardware.
It's almost like a cookie cutter. Even older offices were reconfigured so they all contained substantially the same equipment. Ross chose Cabletron's Spectrum solution, an d although it can manage a heterogeneous environment, Ross chose a homogenous set of hardware and operating systems. Of course, most companies lack both the foresight to design consistent environments and the budget to revamp their installed base. But the rise of tightly integrated tools such as Spectrum and WinWatch provide some relief to beleaguered network and systems managers.