Quadritek Systems Inc has taken the wraps of QIP Enterprise 5.0, the latest incarnation of its IP services management software, boasting new Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol support, for real-time assignment of IP addresses to network users, and greater integration with third party services. The software is designed to enable users to manage and automate processes in the deployment of IP services. Quadritek says users can now define policy relating to the allocation and modification of IP addresses across an entire network via a central management console. It says the software supports third party services including DNS, Directory Naming Services and DHCP on Microsoft, IBM and Novell systems. The company is pushing a new Dynamic Domain Name Service for resolving name queries adding that the new offering now supports RADIUS, Remote Access Dial-In User Services for security authentication. A new failover function enables a secondary server to monitor status of the main server and re-route messages in case of failure. The Malvern, Pennsylvania based company claims its offering is the first cross platform solution with support for Sun Solaris, HP-UX, AIX and Windows NT. Quadritek is also promising support for HP Openview and IBM tools. International vice president, Julian Rigg, says most companies are still managing their IP networks with a spreadsheet or flat file database, maintaining that the company’s only real competition comes from Bay Networks Inc with its NetID offering. Rigg describes NetID, which it acquired with the purchase of Ottawa-based Isotro Inc (CI No 3,137) as not a bad product but says that its larger rival does not have the focus for this aspect of the market, which is estimated to be worth $300m by the end of 1999. Rigg also believes Quadritek has greater expertise in service support in the Domain Naming Servers and IP space. The company says it has over 400 large corporate customers worldwide including the likes of AT&T, Bell South, Ericsson, and Disney and has recently inked a deal with IBM Europe covering 80,000 IP addresses. Quadritek, formed in 1993, won $3.5m in venture funding from Minneapolis based Norwest Venture Capital back in March last year (CI No 3,122) but says it currently has no firm date penciled in for an Initial Public Offering. Rigg says revenues grew 300% last year and that the company hopes to be self-funding by the end of 1999. QIP Enterprise 5.0 will be available from March, starting at around $8,000 for a typical installation, which includes all server and client side software, and up to 1,000 IP addresses.
