1. A method of extracting a desired status value related to a remotely monitored image output device, by a monitoring computer automatically without human intervention, wherein the monitoring computer is configured to communicate with the image output device using plural application-layer communication protocols, the method comprising: accessing a memory associated with the monitoring computer to determine, based on a vendor type of the image output device, a communication protocol of the plural application-layer communication protocols, to use to extract the desired status value from the image output device, the memory storing, for each of the plural application-layer communication protocols, information of at least one vendor, the accessing step determining which of the plural application-layer communication protocols can should be used to obtain the desired status value based on the information of at least one vendor stored in the memory and the vendor information of the image output device; accessing, by the monitoring computer, the image output device without human intervention using the determined communication protocol to obtain device information of the monitored image output device that is stored on the image output device; extracting the desired status value from the obtained device information; and storing the extracted desired status value.