A method and apparatus for providing multiple vendor support to remotely
monitored devices is described. The method includes querying a monitored
device to obtain at least one of manufacturer, model, and a unique
identifier of the monitored device, using a hierarchical technique to
determine if the monitoring system is configured to interface with the
monitored device using information stored in a first database; and
determining if the monitored device is supported by the monitoring system
using information stored in a second database. The hierarchical technique
includes first determining if the manufacturer of the monitored device is
supported by the monitoring system, and then subsequently determining if
the model of the device is supported by the monitoring system.