Netcordia, a vendor of network configuration and change management software, has released version 3.0 of its NetMRI package in an attempt to differentiate itself from the competition.

A principal feature of NetMRI 3.0 is its ability to provide a single view of network changes and their impact on the network as a whole, the company said.

One of the key differentiators is that it is quick and easy to deploy, and gives a "quick time to value", according to Lou Nardo, product management vice president at Netcordia.

Nardo explained that managers are often unaware of changes to their systems until "things go down".

"NetMRI does the analysis, discovery and topology management automatically so, depending on network size, it can give you not just information about your network, but results of the analysis which can identify any problems within hours," he said.

Nardo added that Netcordia had put a lot of effort into the operations management aspect of the package to ensure that it can be used by operations staff and engineering teams as well as tier-one support teams.

Other new features include updated multi-dimensional network topology and configuration visualisation, and a Policy Design Centre for managers to develop and enforce standard configurations and extend pre-packaged best practices, or even implement a custom set of requirements, all without the need for scripting.

Carolyn Dunlop, business development director at Netcordia, said that the company is targeting medium-to-large firms, and that current European customers include Telecom Italia, Bank of Ireland and the University of Cambridge.