Tivoli Live Monitoring Services Launched by IBM

IBM is well known for its advancements in high-performance computing, green computing, enterprise server and cloud computing alike. Big Blue doesn't seem to be taking any breaks and, not long after disclosing plans for the creation of yet another highly powerful and environmentally friendly supercomputer (the Blue Waters), it has now presented yet another progress, this time in the area of cloud computing services. This advancement, known as the Tivoli monitoring platform, will allow medium-sized corporations to more efficiently handle as many as 500 monitored resources.

"With digital information as the lifeblood of more organizations, even the smallest companies or divisions consider the data center's functionality mission-critical," Al Zollar, general manager of IBM Tivoli, said. "With this new service, IBM is delivering our smartest data center software in which businesses choose and pay for what they need. It's so easy that we expect most companies can sign up for it on Monday and have it running by Friday. The simplicity is an attractive addition to our service management portfolio."

The respective resources that the Tivoli monitoring platform can handle are everything from operating systems to applications and devices directly connected to the monitored network. The Tivoli is an on-demand service that instantly detects power outages and bottlenecks, immediately notifying the IT manager and sometimes even resolving said issues without the need for user involvement. The service supports Linux, AIX, HP-UX and Microsoft Windows operating systems, and all Tivoli Monitoring Services will be dedicated and preconfigured.

Event though the service will require a monthly fee, no software licensing is required. The set-up fee costs $6,500 and contracts may cover time periods of 90 days to three years. The "touchless" agent-less Tivoli Monitoring 6.2.1. (which monitors devices and system software) starts at $44 per month per node, with the agent-based OS and application monitoring option costing $58 per node every month.