LANDesk Software Inc. is preparing the latest release of its desktop administration suite, adding a redesigned user interface and a more integrated and unified console.
Later this fall, LANDesk Management Suite 8.0 will also add LANDesk Server Manager, for managing servers, and LANDesk Systems Manager, for monitoring and managing lower-level hardware.
The Salt Lake City vendor, a spinoff from Intel Corp., later this year will launch a new LANDesk Patch Manager designed to automate the deployment of new security patches—including the automation of the testing process for new patches. The patch manager will also support different operating system platforms and different languages, according to Joe Wang, CEO of the company.
As for LANDesk Management Suite 8.0, it adds role-based administration, allowing functions to be assigned to specific individuals. The feature also lets users set up management for a specific group of desktops.
“Weve been asking for that for some time. Now, any [technician] can remote control anyone,” said Andy Nosal, supervisor of LANDesk Operations/Technical Services at Raymond James & Associates, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Version 8.0 also enhances the suites support for mobile devices with new targeted multicasting, bandwidth throttling and checkpoint restart functions.
In addition, the new release can discover end stations that do not have a LANDesk client agent installed. As long as the device has an IP address, LANDesk Management Suite 8.0 can discover it.
Meanwhile, rival Altiris Inc. here at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo conference introduced bar-code management capability for taking a physical inventory of hardware assets. It also adds the ability to inventory networking devices using SNMP.
Barcode Solution, which integrates with Altiris Asset Management Suite, is intended to reduce data input errors and accounting redundancies.
It is based on the Pocket PC, but Altiris plans to add support for Palm OS devices, said Matthew French, senior segment leader for Altiris, in San Diego.
Altiris plans to release a major new version of its change management software platform early next year. In preparation for Version 6.0, Altiris released earlier this month a new agent that enhances bandwidth management, adds secure communications between the agent and a server, supports a new user interface due in Version 6.0, and requires less overhead in the managed end station, according to Mark Magee, senior segment manager for the company, in Lindon, Utah.