Tyson Gets a Web ViewPoint of Systems Performance

Software Magazine, Feb, 2000 by Elizabeth U. Harding

It's a challenge to manage a heterogeneous network of 300 servers running on Windows NT, Unix, and OpenVMS, and more than 3,500 networked PCs--especially when the network must be up and running on a 24x7 basis and optimal performance is a major requirement. Tyson Foods Inc., Springville, Ark., relies on this massive computer network to manage information in a distributed organization that spans over 250 remote locations.

"It takes a lot of systems to run our business," says Jim Bennett, Tyson's manager of systems administration. "We have a large network running every aspect of the business."

On the systems side, Tyson Foods is allowing users to monitor the health of key components of different operating systems that run ,some 100-plus major applications. The company is accomplishing this using ViewPoint from Datametrics Systems Corp., Fairfax, Va.

"ViewPoint lets us have charts and graphs on the Web," says Bennett. "Users can look at them and see for themselves how the SAP system or other applications are running. Viewpoint has a good drill-down capability."

On the alarm-triggering side Tyson Foods uses HP OpenView, Bennett said.

With revenues topping $8 billion Tyson Foods is one of the world's largest fully integrated producers and processors of chicken and chicken-based food products.