Cross Platform Management
Help Centrally Manage Windows, Mac, Linux and Virtual Machines
Multiple operating system environments are taking their place in organizations of all sizes at an unprecedented rate. In a recent ITIC survey, over two thirds of respondents stated that they will allow end users to deploy Macs as their corporate desktops, doubling the number of respondents from the previous year. Additionally, in a recent King Research study, 29% of respondents picked Mac OS X as the operating system most likely deployed in place of Windows Vista. The reality that systems managers will be charged with effectively maintaining multiple OS environments—whether it be Windows, Mac or Linux*—is here today.
The Solution
The Dell KACE Family of Systems Management Appliances are designed to help save you time and save your company money by providing end-to-end, Windows, Mac, Linux and virtual machine systems management capabilities via comprehensive, easy-to-use and affordable appliances. Both KACE Appliances, the K1000 Management Appliance and the K2000 Deployment Appliance support plug and play deployment onto your LAN and are simple to upgrade and maintain. Virtually no up front programming is required to enable the appliances. And KACE Appliances are available both as physical and virtual appliances, providing users with a variety of cost effective deployment options.
The K2000 Deployment Appliance comes equipped to image Windows and Mac systems out of the box with a number of key benefits:
- Helps save time by reducing redundant transfers in the capture, storage and deployment of images through the K2000 innovative file-based image format.
- More seamlessly manage and deploy images on Windows and Mac platforms from a single centralized administrative console.
- Pre and post deployment tasks allow you to automate processes that occur before and after the installation of an operating system.
- More quickly diagnose and repair machines through the K2000 recovery console, using re-imaging only as a last resort. If you have to re-image corrupt machines, the K2000 allows you to more easily recover critical files before doing so.
Cross platform management features of the K1000 Management Appliance for Windows, Mac and Linux systems include:
- Device discovery and inventory helps auto-discover network-wide software and hardware configurations through managed virtual agents for a full computer inventory of Windows, Mac and Linux systems. It includes an easy-to-use web interface and wizard-based reporting.
- Asset management helps unify and automate non-computer and computer inventory and asset management processes from deployment to retirement, including asset data audit, tracking, compliance and reconciliation using an appliance-based approach.
- Software distribution helps save you time with remote administration, installation and distribution of applications, service packs, updates, hotfixes or digital asset to Windows, Mac and Linux desktops and servers. More flexible distribution takes the place of time-consuming manual tasks, even across large distributed networks.
- Patch management provides more rapid, accurate and secure patch management, allowing you to proactively manage threats by helping automate the collection, analysis and delivery of patches throughout your organization.
- Configuration and policy management is more comprehensive and easy-to-use, and employs K-Scripts and shell scripts for Windows, Mac and Linux systems. It provides user options to run policies and shell scripts on schedules or immediately.
- Service desk provides more easy-to-use, configurable and integrated functionality for trouble ticket management including policy-based workflow across ticket submission, tracking and resolution, and is pre-integrated with key functionality.
- Virtual machine management with the K1000 provides integrated functionality to help simplify client management tasks in mixed virtual and physical environments. This enables users to manage virtual environments in the same manner as physical environments. Mac platform users can manage Windows and Linux machines running on Parallels or VMware's Fusion as well as Leopard virtualized on Parallels Server.
- iPhone Management helps IT managers to provision, configure and control policies on iPhones centrally from the K1000 Appliance. Capabilities include assigning profiles to user groups by function or geography, and their distribution by e-mail. iPhone users also have access to the K1000 self-service user portal where profile downloads are available.