A Nagios Based Appliance for Enterprise Monitoring

Our Appliance is based on Nagios 3.0 - Combine the power of open source with the long term predictability and support from op5

There are a number of reasons why a company or organization chooses to move to an open source based network management solution such as Nagios. In some cases a Nagios system installed on trial basis has quickly grown to a “must have” program. This adds commercial attributes to the initial trial system and this is where op5 Monitor deliver customer value. We at op5 has also spent a lot of resources developing features and functions customized for corporate users.

Why should I add/upgrade to op5 solutions to my existing Nagios installation?

1. Out of the box bundled Nagios core with projects such as:
   
   1. The Ninja project - A modern PHP based user interface (GUI) that appart from providing a new and professional look also adds an independent logic to what and how data is displayed. This enables the use of widgets and easy GUI customizations.
   2. Merlin - A new database back end that stores both configurations abd events in a MySQL database. This enables easy integrations, increased scaleability and full redundancy.
   3. Nacoma - A webased configuration manager that makes it easier to move, change, add and delete objects in op5Monitor or Nagios.
   4. Nagart - Advanced SLA and availability reports (management love them) with automated scheduling, pdf suport and email distribution for maximum usability.
   5. NagVis - An extremely flexible visualisation add on with a map module that includes a GeoMap feature with a Google Maps integration.
   6. PnP4nagios - A static graph engine that creates professional graphs of Nagios data.
2. Professional services and support
   1. We provide professional support for the complete system.
      
   2. Automatic and free updates assuring latest stable releases for the entire system
   3. We guarantee functionality for your specific Nagios solution and environment
   4. Flexible subscription based pricing that lets you "pay as you grow".
3. Option to get a ready to run HW appliance
   1. Get everything on one appliance.
   2. Hardware that is optimized for your monitoring system.
   3. Integrated SMS gateway.
   4. Full on site HW support

Read Nagios advice for beginners!

Can you give me three good reasons?

Ease of use – Using Nagios in a production environment requires skilled IT technicians. The entire IT staff, the help desk etc. need to fully master the system and the changes and need to understand the data output. You need to be sure that an adequate number of people need to be able to run the system in case of sick leave or other absence.

Security – A fully functional Nagios install includes a large number of various open source projects and libraries. Keeping track of, and ensuring that all of these programs are secure, up to date and fully documented is sometimes forgotten. With op5 Monitor we make sure that you always have access to the latest stable releases.

Support – Perhaps the most important reason is our outstanding support and automated upgrades to the system. This includes e-mail, telephone and online support services. You can view our manuals at op5 support.

Access to Product Experts

A Network Management System like op5 Monitor is no different then any other business critical application – unless the system is actively updated and maintained it can quickly becomes old and outdated. The maturity of Open Source programs vary greatly between different projects, so it can be hard to know if there will be continued development, how often new releases are available etc.

Choosing what open source code to use in a solution is a mixture of validating:

• Initial core functionality
• Long term project vulnerability, i.e. is the project stable and viable for the long term?
• Security – what is the security impact of integrating the code?
• Stability – is the code stable? How long has it been stable? What is the track record?
• Compability – will it work in all environments?
• Scalability – can it work for 10 users or 1000? What are the overall performance degradations?
• Usability – is there a user interface? If so, is it workable for a large user base?
• Integration – does this piece of code have special needs for integrating it into the overall application?
• Documentation – is it there? If so, is it useful?
• Legal – are there any constraints in the licensing of this particular OSS or how we plan to integrate it?

These questions have to be applied for every module and plugin used in the used monitoring application, it should be very clear that unless the organisation has “free and unlimited” access to developers or IT specialists the overall calculation is in favour of packaged and maintained commercial open source solutions vs. a “free download”. By using our solutions you and your company get access to product experts helping you to anwer the above questions. We work with a network of local partners specialized in network monitoring and management.

Are there any other advantages?

Open source is free in the strictest sense of the word, but labor and time spent in development is not. Developing any IT system has a much higher cost than any license fee you may pay. Some of the many advantages with adding op5 Monitor to and existing Nagios installation include:

1. Maintain all of the advantages of open source - while minimizing internal expenses
2. Optimize limited IT resources - Adding op5 Monitor immediately frees up you current Nagios experts, letting them focus on development instead of maintenance.
3. Predictability and planning – Advanced knowledge of future releases greatly assists your ability to wisely plan resources and your IT budget.
   
   

Why should my company use op5 solutions?

Open source can provide some new challenges for your IT department. Many solutions use a wide array of different open source programs and libraries. The ultimate value of open source solutions is the ability to make business critical changes when required. A network monitoring system needs to monitor system changes and generate usable information. This means continous quality assurance and updates.

Solutions like op5 Monitor and op5 Statistics saves you valuable IT resources and deliver proven, 100% tested and fully optimized functionality with all the benifits and flexibility that a Open Source software bring. All of the services you need for a successful, long-term implementation are included as well as outstanding support. Our customers have high demands and we take open source solutions to a whole new level.

Contact us for an online demo

We can arrange an online demo that will guide you through our system and the various functions. Find out how easy powerful, cost effective system monitoring can really be. Fill in the form and we will contact you promptly. Or if you prefer, download a free demo version and try it yourself before buying a support and maintenace contract. Do you want to know what our solutions would cost for your organization? Send us a quote request with basic information so that we can calculate a price for you.