HoundDog Helps Solution Providers Bark up the Right Tree - What Is HoundDog?
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HoundDog is a service that offers a collection of integrated
tools remotely that are optimized for monitoring and maintaining PCs. Solution
providers sign up for the service and then deploy client software to their
customers. Solution providers are able to monitor and support those systems via
an easy-to-use browser-based portal, which offers report generation, remote
control and so on.
The HoundDog service offers 24/7 monitoring, daily
health checks, e-mail and SMS (Short Message Service) alerts, asset tracking,
remote access and patch management. For solution providers, the service also
includes a browser-based dashboard, client portal, client reporting and
workstation monitoring. HoundDog offers self-branding, which solution providers
can use to "hide the dog behind the curtain" and take credit for the
service for themselves.
To use HoundDog, a solution provider needs to
register for the service; the company offers a full-function 30-day free trial
for those wanting a test drive. Once registered, an Advanced Monitoring Agent needs
to be deployed on each network that will be monitored. The agent "phones
home" at regular intervals to upload monitoring data.
There are two types of monitoring sets, one that
reports data 24/7 and another that only performs daily checks. The 24/7 data
collection monitors CPU, memory and disk usage, along with just about any
system parameter that a monitored system can access. The daily check reports on
additional elements, such as anti-virus status, system logs, application logs,
SNMP information and "health" status.
Installing a server monitoring agent takes only a
few minutes. The default monitoring triggers will fit the needs of most users.
Solution providers can choose to customize triggers, alerts and many of the
other parameters associated with the HoundDog agent.
The agent relays collected data back to HoundDog's
central servers using an encrypted SSL (Secure
Sockets Layer) connection. Solution providers can then use a browser-based
dashboard to view what is going on with monitored networks and systems. The
dashboard supports drill-down and report creation for solution providers
looking to delve a little deeper into a monitored system's statistics.
The HoundDog dashboard can be configured to offer
information based upon sites or a group, allowing solution providers to divvy
up the monitored networks by customer or location or by most any other element
they can think of. Systems can also be identified by IP addresses and subnets,
which prove to be useful for asset tracking of monitored workstations.
HoundDog is priced based upon services needed and
assets monitored. Prices start as low as $2.95 per month, and there are no
upgrade or maintenance fees beyond the company's flat-fee billing. That makes
it quite easy for solution providers to budget for services needed and then
mark up those services accordingly. Solution providers can sign up for a free
trial and find out more information on HoundDog's Web site.
