Take Back Control in IT. Desktop & Server Management (DSM)

Transcription

1 Take Back Control in IT Desktop & Server Management (DSM)

2 Table of Contents 1. Abstract Migrating to the virtual, fluid model of client computing Challenges in the new era of client computing Automating client computing processes Reducing IT Total Costs of Ownership Keeping network performance high and network complexity low... 10

3 1. Abstract Organizations are changing the way they deliver and manage client computing capabilities. The diversification of computing needs across multiple platforms and devices and the corresponding growth of network complexity has necessitated the use of IT management solutions in businesses of all sizes. One such solution, FrontRange Desktop and Server Management (DSM), is an effective tool for managing IT assets across multi-platform, multi-site networks because it: Delivers unified, single pane of glass management Automates key computing functions Reduces TCO This paper will show how, with help from FrontRange DSM, businesses can better manage their digital infrastructure as they enter the new era of client computing.

4 2. Migrating to the virtual, fluid model of client computing It s a new generation for client computing. Networks are moving away from static, physical workspaces and towards a dynamic, fluid model of virtual applications and devices. More than ever, businesses are diversifying their networks to work across multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Citrix. Applications and workplaces need to be more than fixed, physical objects. In the new era of computing, they must become virtual entities, accessible across the entire network anywhere, anytime. As organizations increase the breadth of their services, infrastructures become proportionally more difficult to manage. Applications and other IT resources, for example, are not just delivered from physical servers, but can also be hosted on virtual or cloud environments. This creates multiple levels of abstraction for hosted services that may be difficult to monitor, maintain, and ensure ongoing performance on, and existing management tools may not directly provide support for these alternative environments. For many organizations, the changes they are making to client computing represent a step toward a new generation of end-user computing. Gartner1 Simultaneously, users are becoming more sophisticated. They re demanding wider device choices and deeper application capabilities. Nowhere is this more evident than with the increased reliance on workforce mobility. Enterprise employees are increasingly requiring remote access to business IT resources. Any critical data accessed outside the controlled environment of the office facilities by remote devices (such as laptops or home desktops) introduces risks to the business due to the release of sensitive information, and may result in an inability to meet regulatory compliance objectives. Management of remote systems is also extremely challenging, as IT support s connectivity to the endpoints is not persistent. Patch updates, for instance, are often only performed when target systems are network-accessible, and the longer the delay for patch installations, the greater the chance of environment failures and security breaches. In addition, the inability to immediately update 1 "Managing the Next Generation of Client Computing, Gartner, 2011, (Cosgrove, Terrence)

5 endpoints with configuration changes increases the chances the endpoints will drift from established baseline standards. When failures do occur, IT administrative staffs have no way of accessing the remote systems, and often must resort to talking inexperienced users through resolving their own problems, significantly impacting user and administrator productivity. 3. Challenges in the new era of client computing To deliver the level of service required by this new generation of client computing, businesses must seek to simplify and streamline their network at every turn. This effort gives rise to a number of issues, however, many of which the typical IT department is ill equipped to mitigate. Commonly, enterprise reaction to increased complexity from changing requirements is to fill gaps in existing management services with point products specifically designed to address the missing support coverage. This band-aid may offer some temporary relief, but the use of multiple management solutions can significantly degrade administrative performance. The reliance on multiple management interfaces, for instance, can result in swivel-chair management, where administrators must manually switch between a variety of windows to correlate events and perform management tasks. This significantly reduces IT s ability to perform root cause analysis on environment problems. Additionally, the use of multiple management tools that are not fully integrated can themselves impact the performance of the endpoints they are supposed to be supporting. Multiple agents can reduce endpoint system performance, and the data transfer of monitoring and system information to multiple data collection points can adversely impact network performance. Instead, a more holistic approach should be adopted, where integrated processes and automated tools unify endpoint visibility and administrative procedures. Cost is also an ever-present barrier to network simplification. On average, IT departments spend 80% of their budget just to keep the lights on2 leaving little headroom for additional expenditures. Compliance poses an additional threat to network streamlining efforts. Most IT departments do not have the expertise required to maintain compliance at every network point throughout the entirety of network migration. With the number of audits in the industry on the rise, preserving compliance is now more important than ever. 2 "Desktop Total Cost of Ownership, Gartner, 2011, (Troni, Frederica; Margevicius, Mark; and Silver, Michael)

6 The breadth and depth of support for (client) platforms vary greatly across PCCLM products, and many organizations will need third-party tools to manage them. Gartner3 With complexity, cost, and compliance all in mind, many businesses are turning to third-party tools to assist them in their migration efforts. One such tool, FrontRange DSM, provides a single, easy-to-use solution to manage the lifecycle of IT assets, from migration into the new model and beyond. The best way to get a grip on escalating network complexity is through unified management. FrontRange DSM provides a single pane of glass solution, which allows IT to automate management of physical and virtual assets across multi-platform, multi-site networks. Through one easy-to-use FrontRange DSM console, IT can: Configure and deploy hardware Deploy and manage hosted virtual desktops Package, test, and install software Deploy and manage patches Manage, migrate, and restore user settings Monitor software rollouts Unified management also delivers the benefit of built-in compliance. FrontRange DSM gives IT full infrastructure control over discovery, policy-based management, and management reporting, ensuring that compliance is maintained throughout migration and beyond. Management efforts are further eased with the standardization of processes and endpoint configurations. When managed systems utilize a common baseline configuration that is known to function optimally, it is easier to target potential problems by identifying any conditions that are not aligned with these standards. Additionally, by maintaining consistent administrative practices, supported systems are less likely to drift from established baselines. All endpoints should be monitored to determine if they have fallen out of alignment with configuration standards. This enables proactive problem identification so that incidents can be resolved before they become business impacting, breaking the cycle of systemic reactive firefighting. When problems do 3 "Managing the Next Generation of Client Computing, Gartner, 2011, (Cosgrove, Terrence)

7 occur, standardized configurations and holistic environment views provide the key resources that enable prompt and effective root cause analysis. Support stack reliability is further enhanced with continuous malware detection and regular data backups. (FrontRange) DSM is an easy-to-use product that maps to organizations trends involving desktop and server-based computing groups coming together inside IT organizations. Gartner4 Thanks to standardization over processes, approach, rollouts, and test and pilot, FrontRange DSM offers a flexible solution that evolves with the network. FrontRange DSM s modular approach to networking ensures a future-proof solution Automating client computing processes The automation of key computing processes is another advantage FrontRange DSM provides. In particular, FrontRange DSM s ability to automate skilled tasks such as scripting sets it apart from other client management solutions. Script management is often an overlooked aspect of IT operations management, but left unchecked, it can become a huge burden on the infrastructure. Script quality is often difficult to control, and it can be challenging to accurately document script creation, testing, deployment, and support in any useful way. (Scripting tools enable) IT operations to create automated procedures without manually building scripts, with the added value of masking the complexity and managing the underlying script changes. Gartner5 Powered by 170 pre-programmed scripts, FrontRange DSM eliminates the guesswork in script development and maintenance. Though FrontRange DSM cannot replace all scripting needs, its powerful, easy-to-use scripting interface can simplify and automate IT operations in a controlled way. 4 "Magic Quadrant for PC Configuration Life Cycle Management Tools, Gartner, 2011, (Cosgrove, Terrence) 5 "IT Operations Scripts: Automated Chaos on Demand, Gartner, 2010, (Williams, David)

8 FrontRange Solutions also offers a lifecycle management automation platform specifically designed to address challenges in both traditional and emerging endpoint management requirements. The solution offers a unified management approach for supporting both physical and virtual Windows-based PCs, thin clients, and servers across the enterprise. With a Webaccessible interface and role-based access and authentication, the product set allows IT professionals easy access and customized views of the entire support stack from a centralized location. Wizard-based tasks and an end-user self-service portal are included to greatly simplify administrative tasks. Addressing core lifecycle management requirements, FrontRange DSM provides asset management, system provision services, software and configuration management, remote control, patch management, security assurance, and backup automation. For asset and inventory management, the solution set discovers all IP-addressable hardware components and integrates with the vendor s own CMDB implementation for a consolidated and holistic enterprise view. Security assurance reports and alarms ensure endpoints meet compliance objectives, and both vulnerability and malware scans prevent endpoints from being compromised. Backup and restoration features are also included to assist in data and configuration migrations and to facilitate disaster recovery. Going beyond traditional lifecycle management processes, FrontRange DSM provides advanced capabilities specifically developed to address emerging management challenges. For instance, the platform includes virtualization aware monitoring and maintenance features. VMs are discovered and can be fully and easily provisioned with the same interface used for deployment to physical endpoints. Application virtualization packaging and provisioning capabilities are also included with full support available for Citrix XenApp implementations. Personality migration automation enables a smooth transition of user states to and from virtual and physical endpoint or between different operating environments. Additionally, a software lifecycle dashboard is provided, which achieves full software release monitoring and management functionality. Wizard-based queries identify software dependencies and appropriate package installation order prior to deployment, and individual release packages can be modified to meet unique endpoint requirements. Also, the status of software package delivery is tracked and clearly reported on the dashboard interface.

9 3.2. Reducing IT Total Costs of Ownership Management tools such as FrontRange DSM can also radically reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) for server-based computing (SBC), desktop computing, and hosted virtual desktops (HVDs). The TCO of an SBC deployment is 8 to 13% lower than that of a locked and well-managed PC deployment, and from 44 to 47% lower than that of an unmanaged desktop deployment.2 Declining hardware and software costs have an impact on (TCO), but how desktop PCs are managed remains the most critical factor in reducing TCO. Gartner6 The TCO of a locked and well-managed desktop PC is 43% less than an unmanaged one.7 And management technologies can lower the overall TCO of HVDs by 9 to 12%, as compared with older-generation HVD deployments "Desktop Total Cost of Ownership, Gartner, 2011, (Troni, Frederica; Margevicius, Mark; and Silver, Michael)

10 4.1. Keeping network performance high and network complexity low Growing network complexity is an issue that will continue to plague businesses for many years to come. But with the use of client management tools like FrontRange DSM, the negative consequences can be mitigated. By supplying a single pane of glass unified management approach, automating key processes, and reducing TCO, FrontRange DSM can help businesses of all sizes deliver a high level of service while keeping the network under control. Copyright 2012 FrontRange Solutions USA Inc. All Rights Reserved. GoldMine, HEAT, NetInstall, and other FrontRange Solutions products, brands and trademarks are property of FrontRange Solutions USA Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Other products, brands and trademarks are property of their respective owners/companies.