ManageEngine is also all about Managed Service Providers, and this week the company is offering MSPs a new business-class social networking tool. We all know about Facebook and Twitter (and who could forget that powerhouse Google+), but none of these are enterprise ready. There are just too many security and data confidentiality issues, and not enough features. The new Social IT Plus isn’t meant to be all things to all users, but instead is aimed squarely at IT.
What this writer finds odd is that, unlike Facebook, Social IT Plus is meant to be installed on-premises. I understand how this might make it safer, but doesn’t it more so limit what it can do?
Here is how the vendor describes its new tool. “Social IT Plus is on-premise software that helps IT shops at large enterprises and data centers collaborate in real time by establishing a one-stop, cascading wall for real-time display of IT infrastructure health,” ManageEngine said. “Large enterprises and data centers expand their IT very quickly, leveraging technologies such as virtualization, software-defined networking (SDN) and software-defined data center (SDDC). This mandates a communication platform that is superior to email, a platform that is dynamic and capable of pulling valuable information from IT management tools, in real time.”
Now while this reporter questions the non-cloud nature of the tool, it is actually derived from the SaaS version of ManageEngine’s social service. “Social IT Plus is the downloadable, on-premise version of the company’s proven, SaaS-based social networking service for IT teams. To prove the power of Social IT Plus, ManageEngine has integrated it with OpManager, the data center infrastructure and network monitoring software that can monitor 50K devices from a single installation. The integration lets IT teams share a particular page — such as a device snapshot page or alarm details page of OpManager — on the Social IT Plus wall to help the team discuss the device’s performance, share troubleshooting steps and fix issues without wasting time,” the company said.
The tool is far richer than Facebook and worlds above Twitter by offering true threaded discussions, and an API that lets IT customize it to match their desires. And it can integrate with management tools so alerts can be posted, shared and discussed.
ManageEngine and MSPs
MSPs are a key channel for MSPs, and the company believes it has a compelling story. “MSP solution from ManageEngine helps MSPs provide all possible services to their clients like Desktop Management, Network management, Help desk services, Professional services automation, Website monitoring , etc. at affordable price point,” the company said. “With MSP solutions MSPs can increase their profitability while even reducing cost to the customer. It also allows MSPs to give a thirty day free trial to their clients without any additional charge that helps for a smooth transition of clients to MSP Services. ManageEngine also offers products which are specialized in their module and has focused feature set to meet every need of a managed service provider.”
Edited by
Cassandra Tucker
