Monthly Archives: June 2012

Application performance management, AppNeta, IT Management, M&A Activity, Network performance, Performance management, Tracelytics

AppNeta Acquires Tracelytics

AppNeta, provider of end-user-centric performance management solutions for business critical applications, today announced the acquisition of Tracelytics, an  provider of full-stack, SaaS-delivered Application Performance Management (APM) solutions. With the addition of Tracelytics, AppNeta will deliver a SaaS portfolio that includes a broad suite of End-User Experience monitoring capabilities, innovative APM services built on full-stack application tracing technology, and unprecedented application-aware network performance insight.

“Tracelytics’ APM technology brings the next critical piece of the puzzle to our cloud SaaS environment and is setting a new standard for application performance management,” said Jim Melvin, CEO of AppNeta. “Their technology is a perfect companion to our network performance management solutions. Together we are providing unmatched insight to application and network operations teams that they do not have today. By coupling Tracelytics’ technology with our existing cloud services platform, we are accelerating time to value for our ever-increasing customer base.”

The acquisition of Tracelytics strengthens AppNeta’s breakthrough approach to application and network performance management as it is the only solution to offer a 360o view into the network and the key applications running on it. AppNeta’s award-winning, cloud-delivered PathView Cloud service offers integrated insight from every element of the network performance stack: path, packet, flow and device. This complete, integrated suite delivered from the cloud offers thousands of global customers the fastest time to resolution in the industry and superior End- User Experience monitoring.

“With the steadily increasing use of highly distributed Web-based applications, network performance insight is critical to assuring successful application delivery and a quality end-user experience,” said Jim Frey, managing research director at Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). “Few APM solutions today offer the depth of visibility from the network perspective that is required for this level of end-user experience monitoring.”

Founded in 2010, Tracelytics has developed the next generation of APM technology. The innovative SaaS solution provides deep, detailed visibility into Web applications, identifying where issues and bottlenecks are occurring and providing actionable data for quick problem resolution. Tracelytics delivers a unique combination of immediate time-to-value with full-stack application tracing, providing real time visibility and management into Web applications with any level of complexity.

“We are excited to bring our customers full-stack performance insight to both the core application performance and the end-user’s experience for today’s distributed application architectures.” said John Vigeant, CEO of Tracelytics. “But without the corresponding deep network performance visibility, they can’t fully understand and solve problems in the complete application delivery chain. Together with AppNeta, we can now answer these questions.”


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1010data Named “Silver Sponsor” of Cloud Expo 2012 Silicon Valley

SYS-CON Events announced today that 1010data, Inc., a market leader in enabling the analysis, sharing and monetizing of Big Data, has been named “Silver Sponsor” of SYS-CON’s 11th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 5–8, 2012, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
1010data provides a unique, cloud-based platform that unifies Big Data and analytics. It is used by hundreds of the world’s largest retail, manufacturing, telecom, and financial services enterprises because of its proven ability to deliver actionable insight from very large amounts of data more quickly, easily and inexpensively than any other solution. The company combines ultra-fast database technology, a broad array of built-in functions for advanced analytics, and an intuitive spreadsheet user interface, and delivers them as a managed service. There is no hardware or software to buy, no technical skills are required, and setup is fast and easy.

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Partnerships, Video, Video Guidance, Videoconferencing

Video Guidance, Connecting Point Partner for Video Conferencing in the Dakotas

Bloomington, Minn.-based Video Guidance, a visual communications company, has formed a strategic partnership with Watertown, S.D.-based Connecting Point Computer Center, which provides IT solutions to businesses, schools and government agencies throughout the Dakotas. The partnership will help Video Guidance grow by increasing its sales presence in its current markets and expanding its geographic reach across North and South Dakota.

“Our joint partnerships utilize and maximize resources to offer more comprehensive collaboration and visual services to businesses and organizations,” said Michael Werch, president of Video Guidance. “The program is designed to help value-added resellers (VARs) succeed in the highly lucrative video conferencing market, enabling them to take advantage of high-margin sales opportunities with our best-in-class video conferencing solutions.”

Since 1979, Connecting Point (www.ConnectingPoint.biz) has helped organizations of all sizes deploy and manage servers, desktops and notebooks from a centralized location. With off-site backup and cloud computing, the company is regarded for its proactive, preventative approach to IT management that stops problems before they affect a network. Connecting Point also offers Cisco Unified Communications solutions, which connect people, information and teams to help them collaborate more effectively.

“We are excited to partner with Video Guidance to expand our collaboration portfolio,” said Bryan Waege, president of Connecting Point. “Together with Video Guidance, we will maximize our customers’ technology investments to help them meet their business objectives rather than react to IT problems.”

Strategic partners help Video Guidance – through its cloud-based services — create a more visually collaborative workspace for its customers. In the last decade, Internet, mobile and broadband technologies have redefined our way of life, and visual communication tools have become critical to a business’ efficiencies. And in an era of dispersed teams and reduced travel budgets, enhanced, strategic collaboration and applications are essential to maximizing the benefits of today’s sophisticated technology.

Founded in 1999, Video Guidance is privately held and headquartered in Bloomington, Minn. Video Guidance is an independent partner of Cisco, Polycom and LifeSize, and maintains strategic alliances with Conference Plus, On Stream Media Corporation, VQ Communications, VBrick, and Accordent. For five consecutive years, Video Guidance has been named to the “Inc. 5,000″ list of the nation’s fastest growing private companies, and is one of the top privately held companies in Minnesota and one of the top 150 telecommunications companies in the nation. In addition, Video Guidance has been named by The Business Journal as one of the “50 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies” in the Twin Cities, and by Minnesota Business magazine as “One of the Best Companies to Work For.”


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Five Opportunities to Use Mobile Devices in Your SaaS Solution

In a previous posting I talked about some questions to ask yourself about your customers use of your SaaS application on mobile devices as a way to help understand how mobile fits into your SaaS business.

It is clear that extending your application with mobile devices is a trend not only in SMB applications but also in Enterprise applications. At this point all of the major SaaS CRM providers have mobile devices as part of their solution. Many vertical industry solutions also have mobile as a key part of their solution particularly when it involves mobile workers.

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Companies gaining more trust in the cloud, says survey

The annual North Bridge Venture Partners survey into cloud computing trends has revealed that more and more companies are starting to get their heads around cloud as a concept, among other findings.

The survey, entitled ‘2012 Future of Cloud Computing’, utilised supporting evidence from major players such as VMWare and Microsoft and is in collaboration with the 451 Group.

Now in its second year, the survey also noted that whilst software-as-a-service (SaaS) is still the leading service used, platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) will gain significantly in the next five years.

North Bridge asked 785 cloud professionals – including vendors and industry experts – about a wide range of issues impacting cloud computing, with certain trends noticeable.

Most importantly, 50% of respondents said they were “confident” that “cloud solutions are viable for mission critical business applications” – in other words, they don’t think the cloud will fail them for their business, despite …

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Microsoft Surface: To What Shall I Compare Thee?

The Microsoft Surface sort-of debut shows that the company is neither “all in” when it comes to tablet computing nor when it comes to its hardware partners.

Ballmer’s windy warm-up remarks about the Gates-Allen vision of “great software and hardware working together” provided one of those “uh-oh” moments in which you knew he was getting ready to drop the hammer on somebody. After fulsomely praising the company’s hardware partners, the hammer blow came: Microsoft would be going it alone with the Surface.

I haven’t received comments from any of Microsoft’s PC partners, so I don’t know how this announcement is being received by them. I can’t imagine it is being received well.

A successful vertically-integrated Microsoft product has now existed for several years with the Xbox. But, ironically, this is a specifically focused machine, in sharp contrast to the general purpose computing that Ballmer extolled as the basis of Microsoft’s success over the decades.

Having it Both Ways
Ballmer tried to have it both ways with this machine’s purpose. He consciously refrained from calling it a tablet, insisting that it’s simply the latest and greatest personal-computer iteration. It’s doubtful, however, that anyone will compare it to laptops, netbooks, or the latest portable Macs.

Perhaps we should compare it to the latter, though. It’s price point may force us to if a price point is ever announced. (Word is that will come when Windows 8 becomes official). Because as an iPad competitor, it seems to be, well, so Microsoft-ish.

The kickstand is such a kludge that even Ballmer drew attention to it in a semi-mocking fashion during the announcement. Contrast it to the iPad cover, which performs a kickstand’s function, among other things. Contrast the Surface’s attached keyboard with the iPad’s wireless keyboard, and a further aesthetic difference is apparent – and we know that Steve Jobs’ main criticism of Microsoft was its alleged lack of aesthetic sense and taste.

The inclusion of the standard keyboard and a stylus indicate that this is a PC as well. To me these are not negatives, because I write for a living. But weren’t they deemed unessential by the iPad’s Great Designer? Isn’t the point of a tablet that much of what most people do today doesn’t involve typing or using a Jeffersonian ink pen?

The Surface’s light weight – less than that of an iPad, I think – was a big selling point during Ballmer’s presentation. I’m not sure precisely how much the final products will weigh versus the iPad and portable Macs. I do hope it’s expressed in something other than grams, so that I can feel like a real American, and feel that the Surface has nothing to do with drugs.

My Decision?
I have no idea if I will buy a Microsoft Surface when it becomes available. But this I know: I will be so very happy to see a very lightweight portable computer such as this on the market, because for decades now I have been using and lugging around the same basic computing device.

One of the little-known facts of history is my presence on the editorial staff of Portable Computer, first published in 1982 and the world’s first credible source of information on the topic. Our launch issue had an interview with Adam Osborne. Over the decades, I have tried out hundreds and hundreds of systems.

It’s the Same Old Song
Today, netbooks are, in the final analysis, simply too small to be practical for my work. So my primary system weighs about nine pounds. It is fundamentally the same machine as the Data General One that I was using in 1985.

My latest machine is a lot faster, has a lot brighter screen than the un-backlit One, and can communicate a heck of a lot better than anything from 1985 – but when I travel, I am lugging the same bowling ball around the great and less great cities of the world. I am 27 years older, but my laptop weighs the same. These nine-pound hammers are a little too heavy for my size.

I will welcome a truly competitive market of 1- and 2-pound devices that don’t cost more than the per capita income of the Philippines, the country in which I was just based for a few years. I hope that the Surface succeeds, even as Ballmer’s presentation gave so many indications – breaking from partnerships, unfocused design, kludgey details, crashing during the demo, no price point – that it will not.

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