Cost Study

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—September 17—GroundWork Open Source, Inc. (www.groundworkopensource.com), the leader in commercial open source systems and network management software, released today a new study, completed in collaboration with The FactPoint Group, that compares HP Operations Manager (previously OpenView Operations) and Network Node Manager (NNM) pricing to GroundWork Monitor Enterprise. The study reveals dramatic differences in costs and pricing structure differences that make life difficult for enterprise customers using HP network and systems management software.

In a head-to-head comparison study of initial licensing, installation costs and recurring costs over a three-year period for a 3,000-node environment, GroundWork Open Source was found to provide the following advantages when compared to equivalent HP Software offerings:

Drawbacks of 'Big 4' pricing models:

• Node-based pricing forces enterprises to either over-purchase licenses, leading to wasted shelfware, or under-purchase licenses, leading to system deployment delays or lack of complete coverage
• IT operational expenditure budgeting becomes unpredictable
• Auditing system management licenses is burdensome
• Tier-based agent pricing means customers pay more for monitoring more powerful servers
• Pricing becomes overwhelming when looking at grid and cluster environments that feature scale-out models and constantly changing hardware and software environments

GroundWork advantages:

• Subscription-based model allows for budgetary predictability
• Monitors can be deployed as needed, without having to worry about license counts
• No additional charges for monitoring servers with more compute power or for running on more powerful systems
• GroundWork's subscription costs less than the annual maintenance renewal for HP Operations Manager and NNM
• 87 percent total cost savings over a three year period

"We hear first-hand from our customers that pricing per-node doesn't work in the way they need to manage their IT environments," said Dave Lilly, founder and CEO of GroundWork Open Source. "Our customers benefit not only from budgetary predictability and cost savings, but from the increased operational and deployment flexibility our subscription model allows. Monitoring mission critical services, applications, and infrastructure is itself mission-critical. Charging for it by the node is like charging a toll to rescue workers crossing a bridge to put out a fire."

"This study examines in detail the cost savings offered by GroundWork relative to comparable offerings of HP software," said Tim Clark, partner at The FactPoint Group. "The results of this study were based off of data gathered from the April 2008 HP Software BTO Price Guide, a combination of customers who have used HP software and collaboration with HP software resellers."

In this study, costs compared include licenses, subscriptions, installation, maintenance and support over a three-year period. To download this study please visit here.

GroundWork and The FactPoint Group will also be hosting a live webcast that presents the cost analysis results on Tuesday, September 30, 2008, at 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET. For more information or to sign up please visit here.

About FactPoint Group
The FactPoint Group is an experienced team that has been producing world class research, analysis, and consulting since 1992. The FactPoint Group (formerly the Internet Research Group) is a Silicon Valley-based research and consulting firm focused on helping its clients sell and adopt new technology. In 1999, IRG was inducted into the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing small companies, and then acquired by Jupiter Media Metrix in March 2000. The FactPoint Group spun out of Jupiter in August 2001 to continue the tradition of helping leading companies and technology start-ups create, introduce, and adopt new Internet solutions.

About GroundWork
San Francisco-based GroundWork Open Source, Inc. (www.groundworkopensource.com) is the market leader in commercial open source network and systems management software, delivering enterprise-class network, system and application management solutions at a fraction of the cost of proprietary solutions. GroundWork's best of breed approach gives customers the flexibility to use diverse open source and proprietary technologies together with a unified human interface, allowing users to leverage the advantages of open source while simultaneously preserving existing investments in trusted open source tools. GroundWork's solutions are in use at organizations like Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, SAIC, Seton Hall University, Siemens, and World Bank.