LANDesk Upgrades Desktop, Security Suites

The desktop management provider also strikes a deal with Lenovo to integrate and co-market LANDesk software.

Three years after its spin-off from Intel Corp., LANDesk Software continues to build momentum as an independent desktop management provider, with the release of the next major upgrade to its desktop, server and security management software.

Along with Version 8.6 of its LANDesk Security Suite, LANDesk Management Suite and LANDesk Server Manager, LANDesk Software struck a deal with Lenovo to integrate and co-market LANDesk software. Lenovo will market LANDesk Management Suite for ThinkVantage Technologies, which integrates with a new release of Lenovos Rescue and Recovery software.

In the latest release of the Salt Lake City companys LANDesk Security Suite, new scan and block technology can quarantine users accessing the enterprise network and perform a complete security vulnerability assessment along with remediation before they are admitted past the corporate firewall.

LANDesks approach to security and network management impressed David Coursey so much hes been recommending the security suite to friends. Click here to read his column.

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The technology, dubbed LANDesk Trusted Access, is based on Cisco Systems Inc.s Network Admission Control capability, but the implementation is hardware-independent, according to Dave Taylor, vice president of worldwide marketing. "When a mobile user outside the corporate environment hooks up to the corporate network, we can check them out, see the corporate policy, and look for a specific patch, then remediate in the background before they are let in," he said.

"We think its a great idea," said LANDesk Security Suite 8.5 user Ray Hall, network administrator at Covenant Healthcare in Saginaw, Mich. "What would be nice about this is we wouldnt have to put an additional client down."

The ability to set and enforce security policies works with any vendors anti-virus and firewall offering, Taylor said. The security suite also detects and removes spyware, performs patch management and controls access to resources.

The latest version of LANDesk Management Suite delivers support for Intels Active Management Technology, which allows users to remotely manage a connected desktop, regardless of its state.

Intel, which implements the AMT technology on the motherboards of all its desktops, "has been pushing hardware vendors to adopt AMT and has been pushing management vendors" to implement their agents on Intel non-volatile flash ROM chips, according to Taylor. With LANDesks agent implemented in the ROM chip, users can discover and remotely manage those desktops.

The new release of the management suite also adds a new LANDesk Management Gateway, an on-demand agent technology that allows network administrators to securely manage remote systems via the Internet without requiring a VPN.

LANDesk Server Manager 8.6 adds an executive dashboard that provides an overview of the health of servers for less technical users.

Click here to read what eWEEK Labs thought of LANDesk Server Manager 8.5.

All three new releases are available now. The LANDesk Management Suite is $89 per managed node, the LANDesk Security Suite is $59 per node, and the LANDesk Server Manager is $299 per server.

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