Management is different for SMBs, remote offices

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: AUDREY RASMUSSEN ON NETWORK/SYSTEMS
MANAGEMENT
07/06/05
Today's focus: Management is different for SMBs, remote offices

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Management for small businesses and remote branch offices
* Links related to Network/Systems Management
* Featured reader resource
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This newsletter is sponsored by Good Technology
Wireless Mobility Special Report

Wireless mobility is always changing. Managing this change on a
corporate level requires both a technical understanding and
managerial control. Are security, integration, optimization,
and support considered? Download this report now to gain
important information for both technical and business decision
maker's on how to manage wireless mobility technology from the
top down. Click here:
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=107774
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Today's focus: Management is different for SMBs, remote offices

By Audrey Rasmussen

Small and midsized businesses and remote branch offices are
challenging environments for those who have to manage them and
keep the infrastructure running. Some of the challenges are due
to the nature of these environments - such as limited on-site
expertise and competing priorities. Other challenges are due to
a lack of management tools at the right price for smaller shops.

RBOs, which are typically connected to a larger organization
with IT staffs and data centers, may not receive the same level
of management services given to the larger corporate locations.

In some cases, local support for remote locations may be nil or
limited, or management may even be outsourced to a managed
service provider. This can also be true of SMBs.

When I've written about some of the visions of management that
some of the large management vendors are working on, I've
received responses from folks at SMBs who complain that these
visions do not pertain to them. This is because these companies
are struggling with "keeping it all together" and doing what
they need to do, which is sometimes at a more basic level.

The far-reaching visions are too far out of reach for some of
these companies.

Large management vendors have been setting their sights on
products for SMBs. The products are usually enterprise tools
that have been tailored for the SMB market, and their
functionality is typically limited when compared with the
enterprise versions.

I think it's time to give you, our RBO and SMB readers, the
opportunity to let your voices be heard regarding management. If
you are responsible for managing an SMB or RBO environment,
please send e-mail to my colleague Scott Crawford (I'll be out
on vacation) at <mailto:scrawford@emausa.com> with the subject
line "SMB/RBO."

Here are the topics I'd like you to weigh in on:

* What are the IT management challenges that you face?
* What are your IT management priorities for your SMB or RBO
  environment? In other words, what are the most important
  management capabilities that you already have, and what do you
  need? And why?
* Do the SMB versions of enterprise management products meet
  your needs? Why or why not?
* What is your environment like (a general description)?

I look forward to hearing from our SMB and RBO readers. As
always, if there is a sufficient number of responses, I will
report the results back to you in a follow-up article. Again,
the e-mail address for this topic is
<mailto:scrawford@emausa.com>
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Audrey Rasmussen

Audrey Rasmussen is a vice president with Enterprise Management
Associates <http://www.enterprisemanagement.com/> in Boulder,
Colorado, a leading industry analyst firm focusing exclusively
on all aspects of the management of information technology.
Audrey has more than 25 years of experience working with
distributed systems, applications and networks. Her current
focus at EMA is system management, application management and
enterprise management technologies. Reach her at
<mailto:rasmussen@enterprisemanagement.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Good Technology
Wireless Mobility Special Report

Wireless mobility is always changing. Managing this change on a
corporate level requires both a technical understanding and
managerial control. Are security, integration, optimization,
and support considered? Download this report now to gain
important information for both technical and business decision
maker's on how to manage wireless mobility technology from the
top down. Click here:
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=107773
_______________________________________________________________
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Management Research Center:
http://www.networkworld.com/topics/management.html
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE
FOCUS ON RECOVERY

IT professionals are changing the way they back up and recover
data, experts say, with new emphasis on the speedier fetching of
data made possible by advancing technologies. At a recent
storage conference in Orlando, disk-based backup solutions were
touted - find out if attendees agreed and if faster storage
solutions will soon be available. Click here:
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2005/062005-data-recovery.html>
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