All About Opmantek

Opmantek is a game-changing company that has revolutionized the way organizations monitor, automate, and document their networks. Known for its powerful, open-source IT management tools, Opmantek has been a key player in helping thousands of businesses across the globe optimize their operations.

But what makes Opmantek stand out from the crowd? From its innovative software solutions like NMIS and Open-AudIT to its journey from a small startup to a global force in IT infrastructure management, Opmantek’s story is one of vision, community, and growth. Join us as we dive deep into the company’s origins, its most impactful products, and how it continues to shape the future of IT management for businesses worldwide.

Founding and Early Development

Opmantek, a well-known developer of open-source IT infrastructure management and audit software, was founded on March 1, 2011, by Danny Maher and Keith Sinclair. The company's mission was to provide robust and scalable software solutions for monitoring, automating, and auditing complex IT environments.

The founders envisioned a software company that could address the growing complexity of IT infrastructure management in a way that was both innovative and affordable. At a time when enterprise networks were becoming increasingly intricate, and businesses were facing growing challenges in terms of monitoring and managing these systems, Opmantek was positioned to provide solutions that could simplify the process and reduce operational overhead.

The company focused on the development of two major software packages: NMIS (Network Management Information System) and Open-AudIT. These tools became central to the company’s offerings and were designed to meet the needs of enterprises that required comprehensive monitoring and documentation of their networks and IT systems. Over the years, Opmantek built a reputation for creating high-performance software tools that cater to organizations managing large-scale networks and infrastructure, with an emphasis on automation, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

Expansion and Global Reach

Over time, Opmantek’s products gained significant traction in the global IT landscape. The company’s open-source solutions appealed to organizations looking for cost-effective yet powerful tools for IT management. By 2021, Opmantek’s software was being used by over 130,000 organizations worldwide, spanning a range of industries including telecommunications, finance, government, and education.

The company's success was partly driven by its focus on open-source development, which helped build a large and active user community. This community contributed to the evolution of the products, offering feedback, creating plugins, and helping to extend the capabilities of both NMIS and Open-AudIT.

Acquisition by FirstWave Cloud Technology

In January 2022, Opmantek was acquired by FirstWave Cloud Technology Ltd., a provider of enterprise-grade network management, automation, and IT audit software. This acquisition marked a significant milestone in Opmantek’s journey, as it became part of a larger organization with greater resources to scale its offerings.

At the time of the acquisition, Opmantek’s software was used across 178 countries and had established itself as a trusted solution for major enterprises, including industry giants like Microsoft, Telmex, Claro, NextLink, and even NASA. The acquisition allowed FirstWave to enhance its portfolio of products, particularly in the areas of network management and IT automation, and to expand its reach into new markets.

After the acquisition, the Opmantek brand continued to exist for a brief period. However, as time went on, FirstWave began rebranding these tools under its own name, and the Opmantek brand ultimately disappeared. Today, both NMIS and Open-AudIT are part of FirstWave’s suite of cloud-based network management and IT automation solutions, continuing to serve the needs of enterprise customers globally.

Legacy and Impact

Opmantek’s legacy lies in its pioneering role in open-source IT management software. The company's products revolutionized the way businesses approached network monitoring, automation, and documentation, offering highly customizable and scalable solutions without the prohibitive costs of traditional proprietary software. The open-source nature of NMIS and Open-AudIT empowered a wide range of organizations to take control of their IT infrastructure, regardless of their size or budget.

Through its products and its active involvement in the IT community, Opmantek helped shape the landscape of modern network management, and its influence continues to be felt within FirstWave’s offerings.

Timeline of Key Events and Milestones

• 2011: Opmantek was founded by Danny Maher and Keith Sinclair with the mission of providing open-source IT infrastructure management and audit solutions.
• 2011 –2012:  Launch of NMIS and Open-AudIT: Opmantek launched NMIS, an open-source network management platform; and Open-AudIT, an open-source network auditing tool.
• 2013: By 2013, Opmantek’s products were gaining significant traction in the market, and the company began to secure large enterprise clients.
• 2014: Opmantek began to expand its focus beyond small-to-medium-sized businesses and into the enterprise market.
• 2015-2021: This marked the period of significant global growth. Its open-source approach, combined with the flexibility and scalability of its software, helped the company attract a diverse global customer base.
• 2022: Opmantek was acquired by FirstWave Cloud Technology, a leading provider of cloud-based cybersecurity and network automation solutions.
• 2023: Opmantek’s NMIS, Open-AudIT, and other products were eventually rebranded under the FirstWave umbrella.
• 2024 and Beyond: Continued innovation and growth

Flagship Product: Network Management Information System (NMIS)

NMIS is the Opmantek (now FirstWave) flagship product. It was designed to provide real-time monitoring, reporting, and alerting capabilities for network devices and IT infrastructure. What set NMIS apart was its open-source nature, which allowed organizations of all sizes to deploy it without the typical licensing costs associated with proprietary network management solutions.

Key Features:

• Business Rules Engine: NMIS features a powerful business rules engine that allows IT teams to create customized monitoring rules tailored to their specific operational environment.
• Automated Health Live Baselining: This feature enables NMIS to automatically establish baseline metrics for network health, including availability, response time, and performance.
• Pre-configured Out-of-the-Box Solution: NMIS offers a simple setup process with pre-configured features, allowing for quick deployment and easy integration of new technologies.
• Scalability: As network complexity and traffic grow, NMIS seamlessly adapts to handle increased demands, ensuring reliable performance regardless of your network size.
• Customizable Alert Escalation Procedures: NMIS offers flexible alert management, allowing IT teams to set up detailed escalation procedures based on the severity of network issues.

NMIS excels at fault management, performance monitoring, and configuration management, making it a vital tool for businesses of all sizes. At its core, NMIS helps organizations stay on top of their IT infrastructure by providing real-time performance graphs, customizable threshold alerts, and detailed notification policies through various communication methods. Whether it's identifying network faults, tracking performance metrics, or managing configurations, NMIS ensures that IT teams have the insights they need to maintain smooth, efficient operations.

One of the standout features of NMIS is its ability to proactively monitor and diagnose network issues before they become critical. By offering smart, scalable monitoring, NMIS helps businesses prevent downtime, enhance network performance, and make data-driven decisions for future IT planning. Its open-source nature also allows users to customize and extend the platform, tailoring it to their unique needs.

From small businesses to large enterprises, NMIS provides a flexible and cost-effective solution for comprehensive network management. Powered by the strength of open-source software, NMIS ensures that organizations can efficiently manage and monitor their IT environments—ultimately leading to more reliable systems, fewer disruptions, and improved productivity. A free download is available upon request.

Notable Product: Open-AudIT

Open-AudIT, another key product from Opmantek (now FirstWave), focused on system documentation and auditing. The software was designed to provide an automated way to discover, track, and document IT assets across a network. With its intelligent scanning capabilities, Open-AudIT can automatically discover and catalog all devices connected to a network, storing detailed configuration data for each. It would then identify hardware and software configurations, and generate detailed reports that could be used for inventory management, compliance audits, and IT asset management.

Key Features:

• Automated Device Discovery: Open-AudIT allows you to easily create network discovery profiles for your organization. With a single click or on an automated schedule, you can scan your entire network to discover all connected devices.
• Configuration Management: Once devices are discovered, Open-AudIT intelligently stores the configuration of every component.
• Track and Report on Configuration Changes: Open-AudIT keeps track of configuration changes across your network, alerting you to any unauthorized modifications or updates.
• IT Licensing Management: Open-AudIT offers robust IT licensing management features, helping organizations track software licenses across their network.
• Detailed Reporting: Open-AudIT comes with a range of pre-configured reports that provide insights into network configurations, software licensing, and hardware warranties.
• Interactive Dashboards: Open-AudIT Professional and Enterprises’ interactive Dashboard provides a single point of access to audit status and results. Simple, intuitive, dynamic.
• Hardware and Software Auditing: Open-AudIT can tell you what changed, what was added or removed and when it occurred. Open-AudIT has a powerful change detection engine. Any device attributes that are added, removed or changed will be detected and stored.

Whether you're looking to track software licensing, monitor hardware warranty statuses, or ensure compliance with company policies, Open-AudIT provides the insights needed to optimize your network and IT asset management. It is used by over 130,000 organizations worldwide, and for good reason. Its ability to scan, discover, and report on network devices with minimal impact on day-to-day operations makes it an invaluable tool for IT asset management and auditing. From keeping track of licensing and warranties to ensuring compliance and spotting unauthorized devices, Open-AudIT provides the critical data that helps organizations optimize their IT infrastructure and avoid costly errors.

Open-AudIT offers a variety of versions, including the free Community edition, as well as the more feature-rich Professional and Enterprise versions. These higher-tier versions provide additional tools, such as more advanced discovery features and greater customization options for large organizations with complex network environments. Whether you're a small business looking for a free, easy-to-use asset management tool or a large enterprise needing an advanced, customizable solution, Open-AudIT offers a version tailored to your needs.

Challenges and How They Overcame Them

Throughout Opmantek's journey from its founding in 2011 to its acquisition in 2022, the company faced a number of challenges, which were typical for a growing tech startup in the competitive world of IT infrastructure management. However, by leveraging their strengths in open-source software, customer-driven innovation, and adaptability, Opmantek was able to overcome these obstacles and continue to expand its global reach. Below are some key challenges the company faced and how they managed to address them:

1. Building Awareness and Trust

As a relatively unknown startup, Opmantek had to work hard to build awareness and credibility in the market. Convincing large organizations to trust an open-source tool with their critical network management operations was no small feat.

Opmantek built trust by actively engaging with its community through forums, webinars, and direct customer support. This helped to build strong relationships with users and establish the brand as a trusted resource for network management solutions. Opmantek's software development was highly driven by user feedback, which led to the continuous improvement of NMIS and Open-AudIT.

2. Scalability and Performance Concerns

As Opmantek’s user base grew, one of the major challenges was ensuring that its software could scale effectively for large, complex enterprise networks. Managing thousands of devices and high volumes of data without performance degradation was critical for retaining enterprise clients.

Opmantek overcame this by regularly updating NMIS and Open-AudIT to enhance their scalability. For example, NMIS 9 introduced improved performance, better scalability, and automated processes that made it easier to manage complex environments. The software was designed to be modular and flexible, allowing users to tailor it to their specific needs. For large networks, Opmantek introduced advanced features and options in the Professional and Enterprise versions, making it easier to deploy at scale without sacrificing performance.

3. Maintaining Open-Source Sustainability

While Opmantek’s open-source model was one of its greatest strengths, it also presented a challenge: how to maintain the sustainability of the business when much of the software was free. Open-source projects often face challenges in generating revenue while also providing valuable free tools.

Opmantek addressed this challenge using a dual licensing model, offering both free, open-source versions of its software (NMIS and Open-AudIT) and paid, enterprise-grade versions. The enterprise versions included premium features such as advanced discovery modules, better scalability, and more robust reporting tools, which generated revenue to support ongoing development.

Opmantek also offered professional services, including support, consulting, and customization, which allowed them to generate additional income while helping enterprise clients optimize their network management.

4. Acquisition and Transition to FirstWave Branding

Opmantek acquisition by FirstWave provided new opportunities for growth, it also presented challenges in terms of brand identity and integration into FirstWave's ecosystem.

To manage these transition challenges, Opmantek worked to smoothly transition its software and services under the FirstWave branding. While the Opmantek name eventually disappeared, the company ensured that the core products, NMIS and Open-AudIT, continued to evolve and maintain their loyal customer base.

The transition to FirstWave allowed Opmantek to leverage cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity technologies, enabling the company to expand its offerings and enhance its network management tools further.

Wrap-Up

Opmantek has proven itself as a pioneering force in the field of open-source IT infrastructure management and network auditing. Since its founding, the company has developed highly respected tools like NMIS and Open-AudIT, which have become integral to IT teams around the world.

Opmantek's success can largely be attributed to its commitment to open-source software, which has allowed it to build a large, engaged user community. The flexibility and scalability of its tools, particularly NMIS, have helped organizations tackle the challenges of managing increasingly complex networks. Furthermore, the company’s dual licensing model and professional services have provided a sustainable business model, supporting both small teams and large enterprises with tailored solutions.

In 2022, Opmantek was acquired by FirstWave Cloud Technology, marking a significant milestone in the company’s evolution. While the acquisition brought about rebranding under FirstWave, the core products—NMIS and Open-AudIT—continue to evolve, integrating new technologies and expanding their capabilities in the cloud and cybersecurity space. With the backing of FirstWave’s advanced cloud infrastructure, Opmantek is set to further expand its global presence and provide even more powerful solutions for organizations.