Network management SaaS provider pushing into U.S.

Paul Beliveau, the network solutions architect for Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen, recalls coming into work one day in 2006 only to discover that one of the biotechnology company's networks was being clogged by World Cup soccer.
Specifically, he found that capacity at one of his Madrid circuits was being completely used up by employees streaming live video of the tournament while at work. When he called the Madrid branch to tell them of the problem, however, the branch office manager shrugged it off.

"He was willing to live with poor application performance for the time being," says Beliveau, who monitors network health for Biogen offices in 22 countries. "I think he was afraid that shutting off the World Cup would cause a revolt."

But despite the fact that this particular branch manager didn't want his help, Beliveau says he is able to quickly identify and isolate similar network problems at offices around the world by using software produced by NetEvidence, a software-as-a-serivce (SaaS) provider based in the United Kingdom. This particular SaaS, known as Highlight, gives its users a browser-based user interface designed to help companies monitor and manage network performance around the globe.

"What we're trying to do is make the visibility of what's going on in the network accessible to a wider range of people," says Andi Willmott, the business development director for NetEvidence. "In the same way that Apple is trying to make phone functionalities easier with the iPhone, we're trying to take a similar approach to network management software with Highlight."

One of Highlight's key features is its color-coded tile interface that delivers network performance measurements for stability, load and health. Thus, when Beliveau starts up his computer every morning, he sees a series of tiles on his screen that display network health for every Biogen office in the world. If an office's tile is "green," then it's generally healthy. Yellow or red indicate that the network is or may become overloaded.

From there, Beliveau says he can dig deeper into the trouble areas and figure out the root cause right down to the application level. For instance, he can figure out how much in-the-cloud network traffic is produced by Lotus Notes, and how much is produced by peer-to-peer applications such as eDonkey. What makes the software so special, Beliveau says, is its ease of use and the accuracy of the measurements it uses to grade network performance.

"The logic that goes behind the changing color tiles is exceptional," he says. "The NetEvidence engineers know what makes networks perform so well. They measure the thresholds for network performance in a way that I could never figure out on my unless I put lot of time and effort into it."

As a SaaS, Highlight is continuously collecting data on traffic patterns and their effects on network stability, load and health. The software takes that data and stacks it up against NetEvidence's own measurements and thresholds for network health. The data is then sent back to the user with updates every three minutes.

Willmott says that many companies in Europe and in Asia have been using the Highlight software for years, but that the company is only now aggressively marketing it within the United States. He says that the company has had to account for certain cultural changes between the United States and Europe when developing its marketing strategy, which is why the company has decided to partner with various cable, wireless and telecom carriers to create its route to the U.S. market.

"The European market has historically been very slanted toward fully managed services," Willmott says. "Whereas out here, they balance has shifted the other way. People want more ownership and control over their network."

Highlight generally costs about US$50 a month per router, although networks with highly customized architecture might require more expensive services. NetEvidence says that Highlight is also a completely customizable commercial model where users can purchase the software for a smaller number of routers to start, and can then add it to more routers as they see fit. The SaaS requires no installation by the user and no hardware on the premises, and can be fully managed by the company.