Netwatch Solutions
Winning Configuration Management with Games and Puzzles

It’s well known that IT staff get excited about new technologies. However, it is not all hunky-dory for CIOs who are continually challenged to undergo the constant churn of tools and products, especially those to simply address the need to keep good documentation. “IT staff feel ‘documentation is boring,’ which, at Netwatch Solutions, we feel is a behavioral problem of technologists required to perform configuration management,” apprises Peter Beasley, CTO, Netwatch Solutions.

Known for its expertise as a solutions company, the Texas based firm, Netwatch Solutions offers Configuration Management Database (CMDB) software products and supporting services. The company also delivers auto-discovery, workflow, predictive analytics, and dependency-mapping products, and infuses its approach of delivering Intimate Services. While the company’s offerings are robust, “We can unbundle the solution to fit the budget, management culture, and the operational maturity of our customers,” cites Beasley.

“We have figured-out that the needs of CIOs to provide transparent services are inverse to the innate drive of technologists— who are often protective of their technology domains.” Further, Millennials’ demand for immediate gratification makes the challenge of “good configuration data” harder to achieve. Companies procure the “next great tool” to stop the excuses from IT for not delivering quality services. “As a Tools company, we think the missing link is ‘Intimate Services’ to get staff to change their attitude,” says Beasley.

Netwatch’s federated CMDB model imports configuration data from other best-of-breed tools, as “there is no one product for all,” says Beasley. Samantha—the company’s flagship solution is equipped with configuration, change, incident, problem, service level, and availability management capabilities. Furthermore, Netwatch manages the entire IT stack—network devices, servers, applications, software, IP addresses, databases, storage arrays, smartphones, and virtually every configuration item in an IT enterprise.

Samantha also includes complementary features like contract management with expiration notifications, automated governance and risk controls, a Service Catalog, and business alignment features to ensure IT assets and services are aimed to meet business priorities. Netwatch’s application dependency mapping capabilities incorporate all of the application components such as web applications, compiled applications, databases and network-based applications.

Companies can be good at configuration management with a perfect blend of software tools, process re-engineering, data gathering and loading, and Intimate Services that get IT staff on the right track

Samantha provides configuration-based change management to keep configuration information updated at the pace of change. “We offer the right blend of software tools, process re-engineering, data gathering and loading, and Intimate Services to get customers on the right track,” asserts Beasley.

To win, Samantha strives to capture the hearts and minds of staff with innovative gaming, Leader Boards, contests, crowd sourcing, and socially derived information. Significant efficiencies come when staff understand their role as “business stewards” of the assets they manage. “Netwatch is a strong evangelist to lead companies to be great at configuration management,” says Beasley. “We help companies reject the premise that IT staff cannot be good at configuration management. We make configuration management cost-effective by changing the behavior of technologists.”

As an example, one of the company’s oil and gas customers grew through a merger of two refineries. But in the wake of the consolidation, the client’s corporate and field IT staff developed an “Us versus Them” attitude. Netwatch visited the clients’ remote offices and learned the mistrust partially came from poor communication in staff making configuration changes. In this case, Intimate Services included Open Houses, workshops, Trivia contests, process re-engineering, online points, and rewards for staff excellence in change and configuration management. After using Netwatch’s solution, the customer accelerated its maturity in configuration management. Morale was improved.

Historically, Netwatch has grown organically, following where their existing and new customers need help. The company has future plans to expand regionally and nationally through partnerships and alliances, and to accelerate its business through venture funding.