Just wondering if anyone else is looking into the Integrated Management Controller Supervisor (IMC Supervisor) software to monitor their Cisco servers and send alerts? (Similar to Dell Open Manage). Even with being version 1.0, i was intrigued. However when I found out the pricing I was shocked at how Cisco is licensing this software.
Here is how it goes.
Base License ~$499 (list). - Includes 1 installation. NO upgrades, NO Support. Any software upgrades is a repurchase of base license at $499.
Support ~$4000 (list). Includes upgraded and phone support for 1 year. Covers up to 100 servers
So in a small shop with 5 servers, not only do you have to pay SmartNet (~400/year) on the servers, you also have to pay ~$1000/server/year to monitor the server and get emails alerts of hardware problems. If you have a large with 100 servers you only add ~$40/server/year for the monitoring.
I'm not sure why Cisco can't include the support with each server? I don't mind paying the $499 for the software, but expect upgrades to be included. Dell's Open Manage is free and has no support cost as long as you buy Dell Servers. Cisco needs to get on-board with supporting smaller businesses.
~eric
