HP's OpenView came out on top in our tests. Its well-rounded set of tools gave us the performance information we wanted on systems under management. HP has struck a good balance between complexity and functionality in the components of the OpenView system. Close on HP OpenView's heals are the products from Computer Associates and PLATINUM technology. Both vendors provide extensive systems based on a central framework. However, they offer more tools than are realistically required for most operations and, therefore, are more complex than need be. HP's approach, which avoids the need for a central framework, seems more manageable to us.

We feel comfortable recommending the three top performers in this category. HP, CA and PLATINUM all deserve a close look. Bear in mind that each comes with a big price tag and difficult learning curve. Large organizations should be expecting multimillion-dollar expenditures after software, hardware and people are taken into account.