Businessweek

SolarWinds, Inc. designs, develops, markets, sells, and supports enterprise-class information technology (IT) infrastructure management software to IT professionals in organizations of various sizes. The company’s product offerings range from individual software tools to various software products that solve problems encountered every day by IT professionals. Its products are designed to help enable management of their network, systems, and application infrastructure. This includes software for managing the performance, health, and configurations of network devices, firewalls, applications, physical and virtual servers, and storage devices, as well as software for log and security information management. It also includes software that provides IT professionals with mobile and remote access to their IT infrastructure and software to help them track and resolve IT issues along with their IT assets. The company sells its software through distributors and resellers to supplement its sales force. Products The company offers a portfolio of products for IT infrastructure management. Its products are classified into three categories, such as core products, transactional products, and free tools. CORE PRODUCTS The company’s core products consist of enterprise-class IT management products that are used by IT professionals and teams in companies of various sizes to configure, monitor, and report on the health and performance of their network, systems, and application infrastructure. These products provide advanced IT management functionality and are capable of scaling from simple to complex environments. The company’s core products provide enterprise-class functionality across network management and systems and application management and comprise: Network Management The company’s enterprise-class network management products share integrated components, databases, Web servers, and user administration. Its network management products are designed to operate together, while still allowing network professionals to purchase and deploy the products they need. Its network management product group also includes SolarWinds Log and Event Manager, which allows IT professionals to automate the collection and analysis of log data for the purposes of IT operations, security, and compliance management. SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor: The company’s primary product, Network Performance Monitor, is a server-based fault and performance management platform designed to minimize network downtime. Network Performance Monitor monitors and analyzes real-time, in-depth network performance metrics for routers, switches, servers, and other Simple Network Management Protocol enabled devices to provide both current and historical views into the availability and performance of a network and all devices attached to it. Additional Network Management Products: The company offers various additional network management products that solve various network management issues and extend the capabilities of Network Performance Monitor. These products are purchased separately and are integrated with its Network Performance Monitor’s Web console and database. These additional network management products comprise: SolarWinds IP Address Manager: IP Address Manager tracks, manages, and reports on the use of IP addresses through a Web interface. In addition, IP Address Manager provides a single interface for management of third party DHCP and DNS Enterprise, Inc. IP infrastructure. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer: NetFlow Traffic Analyzer utilizes Cisco Systems, Inc.’s (Cisco Systems’) NetFlow protocol and other similar protocols to extract data from network devices to provide an in-depth view of which end-users, protocols, and applications are consuming network bandwidth. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager: Network Configuration Manager is a server-based product that automates the processes of network device discovery, network inventory management, and network change management. SolarWinds VoIP & Network Quality Manager: VoIP & Network Quality Manager monitors VoIP and WAN performance from the perspective of multiple remote