These product families, however, remain substantially positive first steps rather than final answers. For another, there remain plenty of areas where it's not clear where products will fit. For example, one of the potentially more compelling tools is PolicyXpert, which will, in the future, seek to unite quality of service with performance management for better context and self-regulation. Another issue is the need for a stronger connection to billing and accounting applications. The ultimate appeal of management software in the future is that it will enable the creation of new business services and help to consolidate business loyalty among partners and customers.
Technical precision is essential, but it can no longer be a product definer.
HP OpenView's progress towards this value proposition will be worth watching, and as products shape up they should be well worth considering. But this also means raising the bar on expectations for performance and business value when evaluating OpenView solutions. Related links Dennis Drogseth is a director of Enterprise Management Associates and has extensive experience in network management platforms and products. He is currently researching new trends in management software and changing IT roles, as well as international and cultural issues related to management software marketing and IT implementations. Feedback Tell us your thoughts on this article or the issues raised in it.