Systems monitoring via mobile phone

Managing servers via your mobile? Why not?

That’s the question that the SCO Group asked and then answered themselves with HipCheck, a maintenance system that utilizes mobile technology. You, as the technical director or systems administrator, can set thresholds on your Windows or UNIX systems. If they are crossed, the system will send an SMS or email to your cell phone, alerting you to the potentially dangerous situation.

The three elements of Agent, Client, and Mobility Server comprise the HipCheck system, which runs natively on Windows Mobile 5.0 phones and, of course, on PCs running Windows. The Mobility Server enables you to transfer data securely via user authentication.

HipCheck will run you just US$10-18 a month for each system monitored. Given the high cost of labor these days, that sounds like a good money-saving trade-off.