Business service management aims to make IT more efficient by monitoring hardware and applications by the services they support, such as e-mail, rather than traditional device-based categories. FireScope lowers costs and complexity by building its platform on open source software and easy-to-deploy appliances.
--Andrew Conry-Murray

	Lynd hopes FireScope brings heat to BSM

The business service management, or BSM, marketplace is "very fractured," says Lynd, so there's room for new entrants. He notes that leaders Hewlett-Packard and BMC got into the market through acquisitions. "They're working on integration issues, so their story isn't complete." This gives the startup an opportunity to gain share, in part through aggressive pricing of its products.

FireScope is built on open source (though it declines to specify which pieces) and links it together with proprietary code. It leverages the development efforts of thousands of open source programmers to augment its in-house development. Originally targeting enterprises, the company has expanded to small and midsize businesses. The product is offered as an appliance to facilitate deployment. FireScope sells its appliances directly and through channel partners in the United States, Europe, and India.

FireScope helps IT departments get maximum value from investments in management and monitoring products by helping prioritize maintenance and remediation based on critical business applications. FireScope distinguishes itself from incumbents with Marketplace, an online community that takes a page from Salesforce.com's AppExchange. Users can develop and sell apps for FireScope, giving the community a stake in the company while enhancing the product's value.

HP and BMC lead the BSM market, particularly with large enterprises. EMC and Symantec also compete. All four have expanded their portfolios through acquisitions. Managed Objects also is a player.