Network and System Management
Silver Award:
Microsoft Operations Manager 2005
Simplicity, ease of use and configuration were the qualities that judges determined made Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 worthy of the Silver Award in the network and systems management category.
MOM 2005 and MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition are updates of MOM 2000. Improvements include enhanced reporting tools, increased scalability and an updated graphical interface.
While one judge gave the product his highest score and thought it was easy to configure, not all threw their support behind MOM 2005. One judge said it felt too much like Systems Management Server (SMS), but thought it was more usable and intuitive than the SMS product. Another judge didn't like the fact that additions from third parties were required to deal with anything other than core Microsoft applications.
MOM 2005 server licenses are priced at $729, and MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition's cost $499.
Jennifer Lawinski, news writer