A controller, referred to as the "BMonitor", is situated on a computer. The BMonitor includes a plurality of filters that identify where data can be sent to and/or received from, such as another node in a co-location facility or a client computer coupled to the computer via the Internet. The BMonitor further receives and implements requests from external sources regarding the management of software components executing on the computer, allowing such external sources to initiate, terminate, debug, etc. software components on the computer. Additionally, the BMonitor operates as a trusted third party mediating interaction among multiple external sources managing the computer.