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	Issue TOC Print full article Print this page Download as PDF E-Mail this URL Flame the author     In this article Introduction MoM Features Managing the App Gap Executive Summary

Meet the new MoMs. These managers of managers aren't baking apple pies--they're overseeing your network and putting a quick end to the "Johnny did it!" problems that ensue when applications, systems and networks are monitored by different management tools.

Because these products monitor all three major components--the network, applications and systems--they can help find the root cause of problems that ultimately result in service delays to customers and other end users.

MoMs are expensive and take a lot of work to implement and maintain; that's why they're best suited to large, complex organizations running multitiered applications. In the midsize-enterprise sector, companies running e-commerce and financial services applications can also benefit from the event management these packages provide.

We tested five BMC knowledge moduleÐcompatible MoMs, from Aprisma Management Technologies, BMC Software, Managed Objects, Micromuse and System Management Arts (Smarts). Smarts, with its unique Layer 2 network discovery technology, did the best job of correlating events and finding the root cause of problems. For this reason, we gave Smarts InCharge Solutions Suite our Editor's Choice award (see our review).