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AlterPoint’s DeviceAuthority shows how enterprise network configuration management grew beyond keeping device-by-device backups. By 2004, the suite combined multivendor inventory with configuration history, auditing, scheduled updates and reporting. In 2006, AlterPoint added an integration SDK and pursued open standards and open-source initiatives. Those milestones illustrate a shift toward connected, extensible network operations—but the available record does not establish a continuous release history or show that today’s Infoblox NetMRI is DeviceAuthority’s successor.
What DeviceAuthority did
DeviceAuthority was enterprise software for managing network-device configurations across multiple vendors, not a consumer backup utility. A Network World review published May 11, 2004 described three components: DeviceAuthority Server 2.0, Audit Module 2.0 and Update Module 1.0.
The server managed device credentials, configuration versions and backups, and supported scheduling, reports and notifications. The suite stored multivendor configuration information and could integrate with external network-management systems. In practical terms, a network team could use it to maintain a record of device configurations and coordinate routine management tasks rather than treating each device as an isolated backup target.
What changed in AlterPoint’s 2006 announcements
An SDK for enterprise integration
On April 10, 2006, AlterPoint announced DeviceAuthority v4.5 and a software development kit (SDK) designed to connect network-configuration data with enterprise IT systems. The announcement framed integration as a response to customer and partner demand. It reflects an important operational idea: configuration data is more useful when it can participate in wider IT processes, rather than remaining inside a standalone network tool. The release does not specify the full set of supported integrations or quantify their operational impact. Read the v4.5 and SDK announcement.
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An open-standards direction
In September 2006, AlterPoint announced its Open Network Initiative, presenting open standards as a way to create a more flexible network-management environment. The announcement quoted Dennis Drogseth, vice president of Enterprise Management Associates, describing the strategy as “an extremely positive step” and an “important competitive differentiator.” This was a stated strategic direction, not evidence that every product interface or function was open. Read the Open Network Initiative announcement.
ZipTie and the open-source project
In November 2006, AlterPoint launched ZipTie as an open-source project intended to make network change and configuration-management technology available to users and developers. Network World reported that code from the DeviceAuthority Suite was made available under the Mozilla Public License. That documents an open-source initiative involving DeviceAuthority code; it does not establish that every DeviceAuthority feature, or a later commercial product, was open source. Read Network World’s report on ZipTie.
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How the documented capabilities compare with modern products
Modern products in the category can combine configuration capture and comparison with automation, issue remediation and policy checks. For example, Infoblox’s NetMRI 7.6.1 administrator guide, published December 5, 2024, documents configuration browsing, comparison and editing, repetitive-task automation, issue correction and policy verification. Infoblox’s product page also describes device discovery, configuration backup and search, change automation, compliance enforcement and network analysis.
| Operational area | DeviceAuthority, documented in 2004–2006 | NetMRI, documented in current sources |
|---|---|---|
| Multivendor inventory and discovery | Multivendor configuration information is documented in the 2004 review; a specific discovery capability is not stated there. | Device discovery is described on Infoblox’s NetMRI product page. |
| Configuration capture, history and comparison | Device version control and backup are documented in the 2004 review; configuration comparison is not stated there. | Backup and search are described on the product page; browsing, comparison and editing are documented in the NetMRI 7.6.1 administrator guide. |
| Audit and policy controls | An Audit Module 2.0 is documented in the 2004 review; specific policy or compliance functions are not stated. | Policy verification is documented in the administrator guide, and compliance enforcement is described on the product page. |
| Change automation and verification | Scheduled updates are documented in the 2004 review; automated verification is not stated. | Repetitive-task automation and issue correction are documented in the administrator guide; change automation is described on the product page. |
| Enterprise integration | External network-management integration is documented in the 2004 review; the 2006 SDK announcement specifically targeted integration with enterprise IT systems. | The cited NetMRI sources document product capabilities, but do not specify a direct comparison with DeviceAuthority’s SDK. |
| Openness and extensibility | The 2006 announcements document an open-standards initiative and ZipTie code released through an open-source project under the Mozilla Public License. | The cited NetMRI sources do not establish a directly comparable openness or licensing model. |
These records cover different products, dates and feature descriptions; they are not side-by-side tests. Capability overlap supports a comparison of the category’s direction, not a claim that NetMRI descends from DeviceAuthority.
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Why configuration management mattered to network teams
The practical need is straightforward: administrators need to know what configurations are present across their network devices, preserve recoverable versions and identify or control changes. A 2005 network-configuration guide captured that concern in the question, “How can I back up all of my network devices?” The question is a historical example of the operational problem, not evidence of current search trends.
DeviceAuthority’s documented combination of multivendor configuration storage, version control, backup, auditing and scheduled updates addressed several parts of that problem. The later emphasis on integration and openness points to a broader ambition: make configuration data useful across enterprise IT workflows and make network-management technology more flexible. The announcements make qualitative claims about operations and risk, but do not report measured performance improvements or quantified risk reductions.
Rank #4
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What is—and is not—known about DeviceAuthority today
The available sources establish selected milestones from 2004 to 2006, not a complete release-by-release history. They do not establish DeviceAuthority’s current availability, support status, ownership or licensing. Infoblox currently markets NetMRI in the broader network-configuration-management category, but the shared category and overlapping capabilities do not prove a direct product lineage.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
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