With Zenworks 11 SP2, Novell has added full-disk encryption and extensive Mac support to help organizations manage the influx of Macs on the corporate network.
Novell is
adding support for Apple Macs to its device-management suite to help
administrators manage heterogeneous systems within the enterprise.
With ZENWorks
11 Support Pack 2, administrators can automate patch updates for Macs,
automatically deploy software and patches, and manage each system, regardless
of the operating system it is running, according to Novell. The company also
added full-disk encryption capabilities to the Zenworks platform.
Mac support
includes remote management, asset management, and OS X patching and Mac Bundles
for automated software delivery. The platform would be able to manage systems
running versions Mac OS X Leopard, Snow Leopard and Lion. Administrators can
use Zenworks 11 SP2 to inventory all the Macs within the enterprise, push out software
bundles to each device and access them remotely.
Mac support is
becoming more important as users bring their own computers for work purposes,
and several organizations have moved away from a homogenous environment to
issue Macs to some employees. In a recent report, Forrester Research analysts
found that 46 percent of enterprises with more than 1,000 employees have
reported issuing Macs to select employees.
Endpoint management
products need to be in "strict compliance with regulatory and financial
standards and mandates," while still being flexible enough to adjust to
user behavior, said Eric Varness, the vice president of product management and
marketing for Novell.
The full-disk
encryption feature in Zenworks supports both hardware-based and software-based
encryption products. There is also a built-in centralized key management system
so that administrators don't have to worry about tracking all the keys being
used in the enterprise. Administrators can also run reports to be used for
compliance audits to show which systems are encrypted. Zenworks also supports
folder encryption.
Organizations
have to comply with multiple regulatory and financial standards and mandates without
stifling user productivity, said Varness. Using different management suites for
different platforms or several tools to handle each management task adds
complexity and increases costs.
On Feb. 21,
Novell also announced two new suites offering Zenworks components as a
single-purchase bundle. Novell Endpoint Protection Suite comes with Full Disk Encryption,
Zenworks Endpoint Security Management, and Zenworks Patch Management as an
optional-add-on. All three tools are managed through the same Web-based
console. Novell combined the Endpoint Lifecycle Management Suite with the
Endpoint Protection Suite to create the Novell Total Endpoint Management Suite
as a single offering.
Zenworks
allows IT teams to manage multiple platforms and define security policies for
all of them from a single console. The platform takes care of asset and configuration
management, patching and endpoint security. The platform adjusts the user's
security policy based on the user's location and role. For example, a user may
be allowed to use any device to access email when on the road, but be able to
log in to the accounting system only if it's a company-issued device. Customers
use the same tools for Windows, Linux and Mac machines on the Zenworks console.
Zenworks 11
Support Pack 2 will be available in March, Novell said. Full Disk Encryption is
priced at $55 per seat per user. The Endpoint Protection Suite is also offered
at $55 per seat per user for a limited time only, according to Novell.
Email
Print
