EvenTrigger

Overview

Using EvenTrigger

The Windows event logs constitute a mine of comprehensive information relating to your systems, and applications usage, as every event, including the most insignificant, are recorded and stored and can be found and analysed.

Nevertheless, this mountain of potentially precious information presents one major set-back: It is hardly exploitable without adapted tools.   Pertinent, urgent and important information are blended in with hundreds or thousands of other events of little or no interest.  

So to be in a position of instant reaction or prevention in front of problems, you need to permanently monitor your systems and applications usage.  

EvenTrigger allows you to:

• Filter your Windows® NT/2000/XP/2003 systems and retain only the information you will have predefined as important
• Automatically receive alerts as soon as problems arise
• Automatically trigger actions
• Constitute and maintain a database for future reference
• Automatically run predefined reports

How does EvenTrigger work?

EvenTrigger runs as a Windows service on a Windows system.

The Administration console allows you to easily configure EvenTrigger using templates.

EvenTrigger is delivered with 10 standard filters from which you can create customised filters.

With EvenTrigger, you only need a few minutes to create a custom filter with the related alert(s) and action(s).

Why buy EvenTrigger?

Using EvenTrigger in your environment brings you the following advantages:

• Permanent event log surveillance
• Improved reactivity when problems arise
• Better anticipation in respect of changes and problems
• More efficient environment management
• Easier analysis using the predefined reports
• Help toward your information systems compliance as to multiple international regulations and standards (HIPAA, Sarbane-Oxley, GLBA, NIST/FIPS, ITIL, COBIT, CISP, ISO 17799…)

Features

Event filters

EvenTrigger allows total filter customisation to extract, from the mass of information generated by the event logs, only the events that are important and meaningful to you.

EvenTrigger has 12 predefined filters:

• Errors/Warnings
• Printer
• Logon/Logoff
• Service Error
• Access Denied
• Process Start & Stop
• Unexpected Shutdown
• Computer Start & Shutdown
• Performance Alert
• File Access
• Remote Access
• All

These can be used as they are and/or customised to meet your specific requirements.

Alerts

When a previously “filtered” event occurs, EvenTrigger automatically sends an entirely customisable alert message by email or by popup to the recipient(s) of your choice.

The message can include, if you choose so, the entire event detail.

This mechanism guarantees that you will be instantly alerted as problems arise and will be able to act in consequence; all delay in reaction and any confusion as to the problem’s origin are completely eradicated.

Automatic process, script and alarm triggers

EvenTrigger can also trigger predefined action when an event occurs, such as:

• Execute programs (.exe, .cmd)
• Launch scripts (.vbs, .js)
• Start audible alarms (.mp3, .wav, .mid)
• Stop or start computers
• Stop or start processes

It is also possible to trigger actions from events occurring upon computer startup and before EvenTrigger has started.  

These functionalities can be replicated at will: It is up to you to create the most pertinent “event/action” sequences meeting your environment’s specific setup!

Event storage in an OLEDB database

EvenTrigger can automatically insert the filtered events in an OLEDB compatible database (Access, SQL Server, Oracle, …), thus allowing analysis using database queries.

Reporting

EvenTrigger has 8 predefined reports ready for immediate use:

• Generic event report
• File access
• User sessions
• Printing report
• Computer starts & shutdowns
• Service errors
• Process tracking
• RAS & VPN connections

Ease of use

EvenTrigger uses a MMC (Microsoft Management Console) snap-in component.  The solution’s configuration and use are made easy and simple with assistants.  With EvenTrigger the creation and activation of a customised filter sequenced with an alert and/or process trigger is only the matter of a couple of minutes!

Usage Scenarios

Send alerts to the administrator

• Warn the administrator when a backup fails
• Warn of errors occurring on a server (, AD files, etc…)
• Inform of a system reboot
• Alert in case of access attempts to confidential files
• Alert on detection of a spyware
• Warn as a session is opened on a server console
• Inform of a VPN connection

Send alerts to users and different services in the enterprise

• Send a pop-up to warn users of a mail server’s unavailability
• Alert the support team of a hardware failure

Trigger corrective actions using scripts

• Automatically restart a service that suddenly stopped
• Start file archiving when used disk space reaches 80%
• Sequence application backups
• Delete all useless temporary files after a successful backup
• Resynchronize a system’s clock as soon as a time difference occurs

Archive events

• Store in a database all error events that occurred on an application server
• Archive all the domain controller’s errors
• Report on website access errors

Requirements

Operating system

• Windows XP
• Windows 2003
• Windows 2000
• Windows NT 4.0 SP4 or higher with IE 5.0 or higher

2 EvenTrigger® versions available

• Light - fully functional version of EvenTrigger with notification features only.
• Professional - fully functional version including the start of processes and events insertion in an OLEDB database.