PinPoint plans to plug European holes

Former Frontline distribution general manager Iain Franklin has been appointed vice-president for Europe and he admits that despite a number of network management products, most people managing LANs still "don't know what's on the network."

PinPoint claims to cover 42,000 sites of which 3,500 are already in the UK. Its main product is ClickNet, a sort of 'Big Brother' of the network which enables managers to keep an inventory of hardware and software on the network, as well as monitoring Internet downloads.

ClickNet starts at £350 for 50 nodes and Franklin is aiming to position the product as a non-technical solution to the network management problem. "We don't have much brand awareness at the moment but that shouldn't be a problem, because there is such a tremendous demand for a product like this," he said.

PinPoint's UK base is in Borehamwood in Hertfordshire where French and German language sales and support lines are open. The company plans to extend its workforce into Germany and France early next year.