EMC and Microsoft have hatched a deal whereby EMC's Smarts network management software will be integrated with the Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, Redmond's systems management console. (See EMC, Microsoft Team Up.)
Like any integration between management software makers, this one's as much roadmap as reality. Starting in May, Operations Manager customers will have the option to purchase a bidirectional adapter package from Microsoft called the EMC Smarts Connector for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007. It will cost $20,000.
The adapter will let Operations Manager users view Smarts topology and root-cause reports using their own interfaces. Smarts will also be able to suck in data from Operations Manager -- but that's not the point.
"The whole idea with the adapter is to allow those with Operations Manager as their primary console to drill down," says Chris Gahagan, SVP of resource management at EMC. He says Microsoft customers have been clamoring for network information and support in Operations Manager, and this is the way forward.
Microsoft customers who opt for the Smarts adapter now will be in line for discounts and "investment protection" for two upcoming product advances sometime before the second half of 2008. First, Operations Manager will be equipped by Smarts with the ability to automatically discovery network devices. Second, the root-cause analysis capabilities of Smarts will be built into the Microsoft console, enabling managers to pinpoint the fundamental cause of multi-alarm problems in the server and desktop environments.
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