Software from Nobix Helps Computer Networks Monitor Themselves

By George Walsh, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

From email to data storage, the work that takes place in most companies is now inextricably linked to technology. The result of this reliance is that information technology (IT) professionals are now some of the most important employees in any business. They keep systems up and running, they monitor the network's health, and they are typically on site to make sure that everything is running as it should. However, because most IT environments are in operation 24 hours a day, it can be difficult to monitor system activities and schedule tasks without having support staff on site. To help companies use software technology as an aid to automating tasks and monitoring system events, Nobix, Inc., at 3825 Hopyard Road, provides some interesting solutions.

"We're a software development company that focuses on improving the productivity of enterprise IT systems and the staffs that keep them running," says David Block, chief operating officer and executive vice president for Nobix. "We offer IT groups what we think are the most cost-effective job management tools for a variety of different types of computer hardware platforms. Our products include software for scheduling network tasks, alerting and notifying the IT staff of problems, and other support responsibilities."

Nobix's products include JobQue/X, which automates the scheduling of batch processing activities and ensures that jobs are run in the proper order and at the right time; PageAlert, which automatically informs the IT staff when a hardware or software problem occurs; and TranSpooler, an application that can send electronic documents to remote printers or document archival systems. In addition, Nobix offers consulting services and product training. Initially, Nobix focused its efforts on developing products for Hewlett-Packard data center management environments. Nowadays, the company offers products for a number of different software platforms, including Microsoft Windows, UNIX and Linux.

"Our software lets companies monitor their systems without sitting at a computer screen to watch all of the network activity," Block says. "You can let the system monitor itself and have it report any issues that need to be addressed to the person responsible for them. Our software will enable the system to page the IT staff, call them on the telephone, send a message to a PDA, or let them know via email when a problem occurs. It even lets IT staff members address system issues via a touch tone phone. All of our products are designed to help companies maintain the highest possible reliability and availability for their computer systems. Our goal is to maximize up-time and minimize downtime"

Nobix was founded in 1985 by president and CEO David Warda. The company has been conducting business from its Hacienda facility since February of this year and has been in Pleasanton since 1994. All of Nobix's software development and sales activities are performed from its corporate headquarters on Hopyard Road. Despite having a number of high-profile customers, including several Fortune 500 companies, privately-held Nobix runs a very lean operation, with seven employees on staff, dedicated primarily to development and support. The company's client base is diverse, including manufacturing companies, healthcare organizations, credit unions, the pharmaceutical industry, telecommunications, agriculture, government, and education.

Photo: David Warda, president and CEO of Nobix, can oversee the status of his company's network from any location.

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