Open Country, a new software company focused on enabling the manageability of the Linux-powered enterprise, has officially launched its flagship Linux system management solution, OC-Manager.
"OC-Manager not only helps non-Linux users master their environment, but we see it as the foundation for open source in the enterprise," said John W. Horn, Ph.D., chief executive officer for Interstate Software, a leading provider of training for MySQL, Apache and SuSE, and Apache Digital web servers. "By shipping OC-Manager with our Linux systems, we increase both our ability to support customers and our competitiveness."
Currently deployed in some of the world’s most demanding organizations, including Cisco and Intel, OC-Manager fits easily into existing IT environments – and manages Linux servers, blades, desktops and appliances. All essential system management functions, such as system provisioning, software deployment, asset management, backup and restore, remote administration and remote desktop takeover are provided in a single, integrated product suite and intuitive user interface.
OC-Manager’s simplicity and self-training features give Linux, UNIX and Windows IT staff the ability to deploy in a few hours dozens of managed systems running the Linux of their choice. The result is an average return-on-investment in days or weeks – instead of the months or years required for other system management solutions.
"Reducing IT costs has been a high priority for small and medium businesses as well as for large enterprises, which is why they are investing in Linux," said Michael Grove, chief executive officer and co-founder of Open Country. "Since two-thirds of the costs of managing IT are support related, we realized that a strong solution provided us with an excellent opportunity to improve the manageability of existing Linux installations, ease the migration to new Linux applications, and maintain the option of software choice – the hallmark of open source. Our mission is to make Linux the best ROI and TCO option for IT."
Grove notes that Cisco and EDS rigorously tested several product iterations of OC-Manager over the past 12 months.
"We wanted the most complete Linux system management offering at the best price for our formal launch. Our key customers have worked with us to deliver on that promise," Grove said. "The result is a strong solution that provisions, manages and supports all major Linux servers, blades, desktops and appliances with minimal disruption to the organization – and readies systems approximately 96% faster than manual processes."
Unlike enterprise system management offerings targeting the data center, OC-Manager does not require customers to integrate complex software modules and extensively retrain their IT staff before implementation.
"With most enterprise management systems, the environment must adapt to the tool," said Laurent Gharda, chief operating officer and a co-founder of Open Country. "In contrast, we made a decision to develop OC-Manager so that it would adapt to the environment of currently deployed Linux systems and provide an easy migration path to expand Linux incrementally throughout the enterprise."
He added that the bulk of the investment in deploying a system management solution is not the software itself, but the cost of labor and business disruption.
"OC-Manager’s implementation time is measured in hours and requires no formal IT re-training," Gharda said. "As a result, labor costs are reduced and business disruptions are minimal. In turn, the ROI equation is radically transformed."
Open Country’s solution effectively manages standard and enterprise versions of Linux including Red Hat, SuSE, Sun, Fedora and Mandrake. The product scales across Linux installations of five to 5,000 or more systems, and supports a breadth of systems from dedicated database and web servers to engineering workstations, call center desktops and point of sale terminals. Whether Linux systems are currently managed by the data center staff, remote IT operations, or on-site departments, OC-Manager improves manageability and reduces costs with minimal disruption to the organization. Strong Team Leads Charge to Help Companies Manage Linux More Effectively
Founded by IT industry veterans Michael Grove, Laurent Gharda, and Paul Cubbage, Open Country is a privately held company funded by management and private investors.
"We believe wholeheartedly in our mission, our company, and our product," said Grove. "Open Country provides a solution that dovetails nicely with the openness of Linux and promotes both simplicity and choice."
With more than 30 years of executive management and business development experience, Open Country’s chief executive officer, Michael Grove, has founded a number of companies including Micromodule Systems and The Pathway Group, a consulting company specializing in technology strategy and related mergers and acquisitions. He fostered a successful turnaround of Centura Software and led business development, partnering and M&A activities for Lockheed Corporation as Director of Internal Ventures. A graduate of Wharton University's Executive Finance Program, Grove holds an MS degree from UCLA, and a BS in Engineering and Mathematics from California Polytechnic University. He has been an Executive Fellow at Santa Clara University and co-founder of the Open Capital Network.
Laurent Gharda brings 25 years of software and systems industry experience to Open Country. Prior to co-founding Open Country, Laurent Gharda served as chief operating officer for eCode; vice president of marketing for Phoenix Technologies (NASDAQ: PTEC); vice president of marketing for Award Software; president and CEO of QualSoft; vice president of sales for Veritas Software (NASDAQ: VRTS) and spent ten successful years at Hewlett-Packard in a variety of senior business development and marketing positions. Laurent earned a B.A. in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley and a French National Baccalaureate in philosophy and modern languages. Laurent holds a number of patents addressing the manageability of application software, system software and enabling firmware in computer systems and embedded devices. He serves on the board of directors of CodeWeavers.
Located in Belmont in the heart of Silicon Valley, Open Country has a growing customer base of enterprises, managed service providers, and OEMs. Open Country’s OC-Manager is available today for managing systems using Red Hat, SuSE, Sun, Mandrake, Fedora and other versions of Linux. The software is priced at under $9 per system per month, with volume discounts available. To request a trial of the software or for further product or company information, go to http://www.opencountry.com/company/register.html
