MOM for SMBs

The array of available network and system monitoring tools can be bewildering. Most are expensive and work for a limited number of products and controls. Others require monitored products and controls to support a protocol such as SNMP. Some are dedicated solely to security event management and others focus on both security and broader operations.

Microsoft has its own monitoring product called Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005, which fits into the latter category. MOM is designed for large enterprises. It’s open and extensible, meaning that it can be used to monitor not just Microsoft products but those from third parties, and it reports security-related events and other information.

MOM 2005 is too expensive for smaller networks, so Microsoft released MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition, which retails for $499 and is designed for use in networks with as many as 10 servers. MOM Workgroup Edition is also a great tool for larger environments that want to monitor only a small number of servers or several groups of servers. (You can deploy more than one copy of MOM Work-group Edition in an enterprise.) . . .