Commercial open source network management focus puzzle

One of the interesting things to emerge in network management over the last year or two has been the commercial open source vendors like Groundwork & Zenoss.

The commercialisation of open source isn’t new, nor is it particularly surprising that commercialisation has happened in the network management space. Open source has been big in network and systems management from the beginning.

What has surprised me has been the focus of the commercial open source operators. All of the offerings I have seen are going after the enterprise space in a big way.

Perhaps that shouldn’t surprise me. Venture capitalists fund most of the new commercial efforts, so it isn’t that surprising that they want to go after enterprise customers. The big guys have the money, it is as simple as that. VCs like to follow the money, that’s what they are in it for.

Maybe the tendency to go after the enterprise suggests that the competition in the enterprise is perceived to be easier?

In addition, the commercial non-open source competition in the SMB/SME sectors is pretty fierce. I wouldn’t relish going up against the likes of What’s Up Gold, SolarWinds Orion and INM. All three are on the top of their respective games.