BMC releases IT analytics software

BMC on Tuesday released ProActiveNet Analytics, the first product stemming from its acquisition of ProActiveNet earlier this year.

The software pulls data from hardware and applications across a company's environment, and issues IT workers warnings about upcoming performance problems.

Much like its competitor, Netuitive, BMC touts the software's ability to "learn" how a customer's IT environment changes, and adapt its own performance accordingly. It will integrate with both third-party products and its own IT management portfolio, which includes BMC Event Manager and BMC Performance Manager.

Stephen Elliot, a research director with IDC, said BMC's announcement underscores a growing drive by IT management vendors to inject more business-relevant analytics into their offerings.

"They are continuing to pound the pavement on their business service management message. They are really tring to put the 'b' in BSM," Elliot said. "What BMC is doing is saying, we want to empower IT to talk to the specific business impact of what they provide."

Elliot said he expects a number of similar announcements in 2008 from the major IT management vendors: BMC, along with CA, HP and IBM. "It's really going to elevate the messaging to empower IT to talk effectively with the business manager." Overall, however, the product category is still a work in progress, according to Elliot.

Pricing information was not available Tuesday.