OutPost Advantages

For Secure Remote Monitoring and Fail-Safe Access to Severs and virtually any intelligent device or network equipment; OutPost Sentinel provides the Most Comprehensive and Fully Integrated solutions anywhere!

From easily remotely accessing your servers to completely and securely monitoring all the equipment for a dark data center or Light’s Out Solution no one else can compare to the functionality, security and flexability of OutPost Sentinel Solutions.

How is OutPost’ Solution Different?

OutPost Sentinel uniquely provides the most fully integrated console monitoring, secure remote access and management for more devices. It provides the highest level of security for remote access to all platforms and flourishes in mixed environments. The OutPost Sentinel voice and data solutions are both complimentary and functionally different than those provided by other (NMS) Network Management Systems. The information provided will attempt to demonstrate how OutPost Sentinel Products differ from and compliment NMS and other network tools.

What OutPost and Other Leading NMS Solutions have in Common

• Both use the Network to Monitor Equipment for Alarms
• Provide a Centralized Management Center
• Provide a Secure Web Browser Interface
• Provide Automated Updates to the Remote Equipment

However, there are significant differences in the products that give the OutPost products a noticeable advantage in the technology delivered, the features provided and the benefits realized. These differences are touched on here to provide an overview.

The most significant overall difference is that the OutPost products were architected to be both distributed and centralized with no single point of failure to provide an efficient way to deliver both in and out-of-band access in an integrated manner to all types of managed equipment. Other NMS solutions like HP OpenView do provide in network remote management for some network devices. However they like most every other NMS solution were not engineered to deliver a failsafe, redundant and efficient out-of-band solutions and are subject to single points of failure.

Almost every other remote monitoring and management tool have an inherent weakness. That is they exclusively rely upon the network to enable them to monitor and access failed networks and network equipment. The flaws in this current system seem obvious. A Data Center typically has triple redundant power. There are electrical outlets provided by the power company backed up by batteries which in turn are backed up by onsite generators. Yet, the monitoring and the remote management typically rely on tools that exclusively rely on unstable networks. It is similar to having the Data Center Power back up being supplied by an unreliable power company with suspended power lines that are subject to environmental and weather related outages. Then deploying a solution where the batteries and back-up generators rely on the those same power lines in order to work. That is just not a well thought out solution.

Why would you subject your business and you livelihood to tools and solutions that exclusively rely on an unreliable network to monitor and remotely manage your mission critical devices? Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Even the best run networks in today’s world do not come close to approaching the five 9s reliability of the old telephone system. In fact many of the better run networks in the larger enterprises are happy to target 98% up-time. Meaning more than 200 hours of unplanned down-time each year. We think people deserve and need better.

OutPost Sentinel solutions use the network similar to many other solutions but in addition can provide direct access to both networked and non-networked equipment and provides an emergency secure secondary access route. Capture error messages and SNMP traps even when the network is down and other system tools fail. Take control of router without sending someone onsite with a crash cart when the router is flapping or needs a reboot. Instead of being stuck in traffic take control and reroute your network traffic using OutPost’s tools, which do not exclusively rely on the network as do other tools.

Some things a good data, PBX and VOIP System should provide:
Alarm Monitoring

• Centralized Alarm Monitoring – Web-based software providing centralized alarm monitoring and notification to make sure alarms are identified, captured and acted upon appropriately and complete access to any monitored device from any where!
• Escalation Process – Complete flexibility and automated escalation processes alert your team. Easy-to-use web interface define how and where the notifications go, who gets them and when. Send pages, emails and text messages or even follow scripts.
• Guaranteed SNMP Forwarding – Captures and forwards SNMP Traps to centralized server or other NMS tools with guaranteed delivery.
• Automated Problem Resolution – Identify and solve problems automatically before they become an issue.
• Continuous Validation of Connectivity – Insures equipment is always available for remote access both in and out-of-band. You should know when your monitoring agent has an issue or is not available. It should also automatically re-route alarm reporting and remote access around network outages, or when network access is not available.

Remote Access

• IP and Dial-up Remote Access – It should provide secure access to all telephony and network devices. If the network access goes down, it would ideally automatically reconnect to insure continuous monitoring and access.
• Automatic Secure Connectivity – It must be secure and easy to use. Ideally it would automatically establishes a secure compressed point-to-point socket connection from the remote device to the centralized server. It would eliminate the hassle and security risk of having telephone guys or customers trying to configure and provide complex VPN access
• Centralized, Scalable Access – Ideally, it would provide a central point of access for all PBXs and other devices and simultaneously be scalable enough manage and access hundreds or thousands of devices at thousands of locations all from a single, easy to use management interface.
• Multi-Device Access – Support all brands and types of PBXs, VOIP systems, routers, switches, frame relays and application servers with both in network and out-of-band access and management.
• Ultimate in Security – It should provide an unsurpassed range of security and controlled access options including SSH and SSL encryption, access control groups, IP access limits, dial-back options Secure Socketed Point to Point Tunnels and more. What could be more important to protect than your or your customer’s information, telephone system and network?
• No Single Point of Failure – It should compliment and improve whatever existing NMS tools that are being used with continuous reporting and maintain secure access to remote sites experiencing network issues. Ideally it would offer continued management and access if the remote site lost it network connectivity or even if the central NOC is eliminated or rendered inoperable

Diagnose & Troubleshoot

• Console Buffering and Audit Capture – It will significantly simplify trouble shooting activities and provide complete access to all past console traffic by capturing and buffering all this information in both remotely, as well as centrally and provide a complete audit trail of all activities and identifying all events, error messages and activities by the person making changes in real time.
• Simultaneous Access - Access by multiple simultaneous users facilitates collaboration between users. This allows geographically dispersed staff to easily work with each other to solve difficult problems faster.
• Configuration Access – Complete secure access for configuring the unit via a web interface and command line access.
• Integrated Power Control – For locations requiring remote power control, it should have integrated intelligent power strips to cycle power when necessary to deliver hard on/off and re-boots.
• Reporting – Complete reporting writing capability provided for generating user definable reports. Easily create reports such as alarms per month by customer, or all customers with a specific alarm, etc.
• Integrated QOS Packages – It should provide integrated access and monitoring of VOIP systems as well as PBX systems. Ideally it would also be able to be easily integrated with QOS packages which are able to identify and resolve VOIP and traffic issues.

Many other NMS solutions:

Are not self-aware. They fail in field without anyone knowing that they are not working.
They are very difficult to use and require 2 weeks training course and people still struggle to use effectively.
They are often not secure and easily broken into.
They do not provide a complete and reliable audit trail and do not record all events that happen. Even when working they only store event information not all console error messages. These critical Messages are lost for troubleshooting and for the identification of new problems or the identification of damages done by a disgruntled employee or hacker.
They typically are much less reliable and less comprehensive but cost much more than the OutPost solutions.
They exclusively rely upon the network to work.

Please protect your customers from themselves and educate them at the highest levels on a truly better more cost effective solution.

How OPS is Different (Comparison )

These comparisons are made using the published specification sheets and current product manuals for outpost competitors. The product differences are significant and too numerous to adequately address here. However, we have highlighted several major differences to assist you in your product selection.

Universal Management & Compatibility

OutPost does provide much more extensive monitoring, access and management to more types of devices and is compatible with more solutions. This enables you to monitor and manage any existing or new equipment immediately. You can monitor and manage that troublesome Brocade switch and Sun boxes until you are able to replace them. Then you can re-deploy the same ENS unit to manage the new Cisco or Juniper equipment.

All competitors have a much more narrowly defined set of products that it will provide access to and are generally only compatible with their own equipment for more integrated solutions. For example, Most competitors do not have an integrated power management. If they do they generally will only work with their own very limited selection of provided power strips. Their solutions often do not provide assorted rack mount solutions, DC outlets or varied AMP and plug types. OutPost will work with anyone’s intelligent power strips and enable the same ease of control by simply pushing a button.

What OutPost Sentinel Does that Other NMS Solutions Do Not

OutPost Sentinel provides:

• No Single Point of Failure
• Direct Serial Console Alarm Reporting and Access
• SNMP Forwarding and Guaranteed Delivery of SNMP Traps
• Both in network and OBM redundant reporting and Access
• Secure Socketed Point-to Point Connection
• Integrated alarms and support for non-networked PBX systems
  
  • For systems on a down or troubled network
  • For systems where there is no network
  • For many systems where they are on separate and independent networks
• Integrated alarms and support for almost all other brands of PBX , VOIP equipment and legacy systems
• Integrated Support for All brands and types of Network Equipment
• Will connect to tens of thousands of devices and is not limited to licenses or physical connections
• Buffers all system and information remotely and centrally
• Integrated KVM-Over-IP Support
• Integrated Remote Power Management
• A distributed architecture with no single point of failure
• A more reliable centralized server with both internal and external backups

No single Point of Failure

The OutPost Sentinel and SAM were architected to provide a system with no single point of failure. Like HP OpenView, SAM provides a centralized monitoring and access point for all devices. Unlike OpenView, the ENS provides local monitoring, reporting and access without regard to the condition of the network/WAN and will continue to function if the central server were eliminated.

A loss of the Central NMS server or issue on the NOC Network/WAN could result in loss of all visibility, reporting and access to all locations. Imagine losing 10 or 10,000 sites and being required to go onsite to all those sites because of one system failure.

Direct Serial Console Alarm Reporting and Access

OutPost Sentinel’s ENS directly attaches to the serial console port of any device. It makes what once a single user local connection into an almost unlimited user, secure, remote connection. It captures all the Console error messages and audits all activity in addition to any SNMP traps. The ENS also provides a secure socket connection to SAM to provide maximum security and instant access from anywhere. All other NMS solutions are network only software applications with complete reliance on the network and many single points of failure. They will not facilitate a direct serial console connection to capture alarms, connect to legacy equipment or capture error messages and regain control of run-away processes.

SNMP Forwarding and Guaranteed Delivery of SNMP Traps

For most systems SNMP forwarding is transmit and pray technology. If there is s network issue with a server, router or a cable, the transmission is lost without any knowledge of it ever being sent. The ENS will continue to send the SNMP trap and use alternative routes such as a secondary network or Frame Relay or POTs line to make sure the message got delivered until acknowledgment is returned.

We know from working with some of the largest retailers in the world who deploy HP OpenView and IBM Tivoli and CA UniCenter that over half of their onsite visits and downed stores were the result of a router or network issue. Meaning they lose all visibility into the network and have rendered all their NMS tools useless. OutPost Sentinel’s tools’ compliment these NMS tools and provide continued reporting and guaranteed delivery of traps and redundant access to all devices, thereby, eliminating the need for more than 90% of all onsite visits.

Both in network and OBM redundant reporting and Access

The issue with network only tools such as Tivoli or OpenView is that they have an inherent weakness of relying upon the network to fix the network. OutPost’s solution enable you to have the advantages of IP access and SNMP reporting without the exposure. Each ENS has the capability of residing on multiple networks and providing out of band or out of network reporting and secure access.

Secure Socketed Point-to-Point Connection

Most organizations do not have all locations and all network professionals residing on the same WAN at the same time. The question arises: How do they remotely and securely manage devices on these independent network or from a remote location? For many headaches, security issues and scaling of VPNs is prohibitive. Their customer or another IT group within the same organization may not allow others to get on their networks for policy or security reasons. So, Outpost Sentinel, has developed a secure socketed connection from the remote ENS to SAM.

This point-to-point, secure, technology does allow users to go anywhere on the network. It also eliminate the set up and configuration head-aches generally associated with VPNs. Often it is as simple as plugging the cable in an turning it on.

Integrated alarms and support for non-networked and legacy systems

What if elements of my legacy system does not have a network connection? What if the remote location does not have a network and what if the IT people will not let voice traffic of any kind on their IP network. Not a problem for OutPost’s solutions.