Alessandro Donnini

"End-point security is a moving target," said Alessandro Donnini, president of HandsFree Networks.

ASI users also can configure the software to track, for example, the activity of a specific application or user on a network, says Alessandro Donnini, HandsFree's president."We've upgraded the software to manage application usage, which will help network managers better plan for licensing and upgrades," he says.

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While Donnini says HandsFree's software might perform similar functions to those in Tivoli software, he sees the company's software competing more with Altiris' Asset Mgmt Suite, Intel's LANDesk and Novell's ZENworks.And while Altiris costs $58 per node, HandsFree's ASI costs $2 per managed device per month when between 10 and 99 nodes are purchased.Donnini says the payment model lets customers try the software before committing a lot of cash.

ASI includes server and client software.The server component can run within an intranet or at a remote location, connecting via the Internet.The server includes an event log database from which network managers generate reports and are notified of events.ASI client software agents are installed on each managed device.Each agent includes a database in which all the availability, performance and event data is stored.ASI supports devices running Microsoft Windows 95 through XP operating systems.