http://www.managesoft.com

Policy-Based Solution Automates Server Provisioning, Configuration, and Security Patch Updates

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ManageSoft Corporation, a world leader in software configuration management solutions, today announced extensions to its client-centric server management solution that enable central IT administrators in large enterprises to automatically update and configure servers in remote offices and distributed data centers worldwide. Unlike products that do not handle remote server systems as a critical piece of the distributed data center, these new enhancements excel across all networks, including the Internet, to provide bandwidth-friendly server discovery, inventory, deployment, configuration, remote control, OS provisioning, and security patch management for servers throughout the enterprise.

“Manual processes for updating remote servers are unacceptably slow in a rapidly changing business environment,” said Walter Elliot, CEO of ManageSoft. “The intelligence of the ManageSoft solution is contained in client-side smart agents that turn remote servers into self-managing entities. Because ManageSoft can use any existing Web server, file server, or file share as a distribution server, many organizations avoid the cost and effort of deploying additional hardware or software. With the intelligence localized on the client, ManageSoft is immune from any single point of failure, making it reliable, scalable, and ideal for central management of servers in remote locations.”

The ManageSoft Server Management Solution enables central IT administrators in large organizations to quickly specify software application and configuration policies for remote servers. ManageSoft smart-agents on managed servers throughout the enterprise automatically download and install any application updates or software version differences needed to achieve the desired state described in the centrally-defined policies. As a result, this policy-based approach to server configuration provides far greater reliability than labor-intensive task-based systems.

“CIOs worldwide are managing under increasingly challenging service level agreements,” Elliot, continued. “ManageSoft enables CIOs to meet these stringent requirements for server uptime by ensuring that the right servers receive the right applications, digital content, and security patches automatically and at the appropriate times. Automatic server configuration and self-healing also significantly reduces server support costs for distributed data centers and other remote servers.”

ManageSoft provides central-point management for Windows, Linux, and UNIX servers in remote offices including file servers, print servers, application servers, and domain controllers. The same solution can also be used to provision, update, and manage servers in distributed data centers including database servers, application servers, Web servers, and increasingly-popular Intel-based blade servers from HP, Dell, and IBM. The ManageSoft server management solution provides:

-- INCREASED CONTROL THROUGH SERVER DISCOVERY AND INVENTORY: ManageSoft enables central IT administrators to bring remote servers under central management rapidly, with up-to-the-minute Web-based inventory reports providing detailed information on installed software and hardware on Windows, Linux, and UNIX servers throughout the organization.

-- AUTOMATIC OS PROVISIONING FOR WINDOWS SERVERS: ManageSoft provides automatic deployment of Windows Server 2003 for new servers, and automates migration from legacy Windows server platforms.

-- SOFTWARE DEPLOYMENT FOR WINDOWS, LINUX AND UNIX SERVERS: ManageSoft provides automatic software deployment for remote offices and distributed data centers. Several of the worldÂ’s leading banks use ManageSoft to deploy software to servers in thousands of remote bank branches.

-- IMPROVED SERVER CONTENT MANAGEMENT: ManageSoft provides bandwidth-friendly deployment of digital content for remote file servers and Web servers located anywhere in the world. One of the worldÂ’s leading car manufacturers uses ManageSoft to reliably deploy and update frequently-changing technical documentation on servers in over 1000 service centers worldwide over unreliable low-bandwidth connections, including the Internet.

-- REDUCED SUPPORT COSTS WITH POLICY-BASED SERVER CONFIGURATION: ManageSoft transforms remote servers into self-managing devices that automatically self-heal and update to maintain the desired state described in centrally-defined server configuration policies. A global chemical manufacturer uses ManageSoft centrally to automatically provision, update, and manage servers in over 100 countries worldwide.

-- FASTER SUPPORT RESPONSE TIMES WITH REMOTE CONTROL AND DIAGNOSTICS: To simplify management of remote servers, ManageSoft enables central IT administrators to click through from web-based inventory and status reports to initiate remote control and diagnostics immediately for servers located anywhere in the world.

-- INCREASED DATA CENTER SECURITY WITH AUTOMATED PATCH MANAGEMENT: ManageSoft eliminates known server software vulnerabilities by automating the security patch management process for servers in distributed data centers and remote offices worldwide.

-- REDUCED RISK EXPOSURE WITH LICENSE COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT: ManageSoft provides a complete solution for license management, software metering and usage tracking for software on servers throughout the enterprise.

The ManageSoft server management solution for Windows and Linux servers is available immediately from ManageSoft offices and partner companies worldwide. Extended UNIX support will be available from February 2004. For more information on the ManageSoft server management solution visit http://www.managesoft.com/servermanagement.