Ipswitch Adds Stand-Alone Version of WhatsConnected to Its Lineup
The Layer 2 and Layer 3 discovery tool is now available as a stand-alone product as well as a plug-in for the company’s WhatsUp Gold suite of network management applications.
Ipswitch Inc. has a new addition to its WhatsUp Gold suite of IT management solutions. WhatsConnected is a Layer 2 and Layer 3 discovery tool for SMBs, and it is now available as a standalone product as well as a plug-in for the company’s flagship network management suite, WhatsUp Gold.
WhatsConnected is designed to complement existing network management platforms by delivering infrastructure discovery, mapping, and visualization in a simple format. Moreover, it is aimed at enabling SMBs to save time by quickly and accurately discovering, mapping, and documenting devices, servers, VMware virtual machines, VLANs, and port-to-port connectivity.
“IT teams can quickly visualize how everything in a network is connected as well as validate archived configuration item data for documentation, inventory, and compliance initiatives,” states an Ipswitch Inc. press release submitted to EH Publishing. “WhatsConnected can also discover “forgotten” or unused resources on the network and simplify troubleshooting tasks.”
Kevin Gillis is vice president of product management for Ipswitch’s network management division. He says large enterprise management platforms can require extra configuration and can be difficult to access. WhatsConnected, he says, helps eliminate some of those challenges. “The standalone version of WhatsConnected gives SMBs a flexible, automated solution that can be deployed rapidly to simplify complex networks, reducing the need for time-intensive manual processes and improving overall efficiency,” he says.
WhatsConnected provides such features as:
- Network Discovery–WhatsConnected uses a number of innovative Layer 2 and Layer 3 standards-based discovery technologies.
- Visual mapping–Integrated maps display topology information in hierarchical or radical formats.
- Visio Support–Export any map generated by WhatsConnected to Visio 2003 or Visio 2007.
- Inventory & Configuration–Collect comprehensive information for all networked devices.
- Reporting–Flexible reports are available for asset/inventory, device connectivity, and bridge port utilization.
- Scheduled Discoveries–Running discoveries at regular intervals keeps Layer 2 connectivity information up-to-date.
- Layer 2 Trace–Rapidly pinpoint physical connectivity issues.
- IP/MAC finder–Correlate an IP address to a physical MAC address.
- WhatsConnected Console–Devices, categories, topology maps, subnets, and link views are displayed.
- Integration with WhatsUp Gold–Export device and dependency information from WhatsConnected to WhatsUp Gold, and automate the creation of consolidated mapviews and monitors for the connected interfaces.
WhatsConnected is immediately available starting at a MSRP of $1,995.
A downloadable free trial of the WhatsUp Gold suite of IT management solutions is available online.
