Discovery time depends on the number of devices in the network, but Yigal Korolevski, vice president and CTO at Selis, estimates a rate of about two hours for 1,000 network devices. B-Watch won't discover end nodes by default, but networkers can earmark specific servers or power users for monitoring. At this point, networkers can add machines or begin associating them with applications. Once associated with the business processes, the devices are primed for management. Issues such as thresholds, polling times, and elements within devices are preset, reducing B-Watch's deployment time.
Users can also customize the values if desired.
What really distinguishes B-Watch is its unique front end. Most network management systems provide a graphical representation of the network which is adept at locating failed devices, but not necessarily their impact on applications or end users. If an application starts to go south, networkers can drill down for more information by clicking on the service indicator to reveal the status of any application's underlying devices. This shows the relevant statistics within the device, aiding problem diagnosis. Peripatetic or multitasking networkers will like the portable network indicator, which sits in front of the resident software and provides a snapshot of the network.