Software Management Group

I recently had these questions posed to me, and I thought I would share my ideas on the topic.

Question 1:

Can a deployment database be tied into Altiris which would enable software to be delivered or recovered automatically?  An example would be an employee  who has a computer hard drive crash, when the replacement computer is deployed could an image be installed based on the previous inventory already on file in Altiris?  The counter to that would be terminating an employee.  When someone leaves, can Altiris be setup to uninstall the software and return the purchased licenses back into inventory?

• Customer has all of their applications added to the Software Catalog.
• All applications have at least Detection if not Applicability Rules attached to them in the Catalog
• All application installations are using Managed Software Delivery policies using the defined install command line.
• All Managed Software Delivery policies are focussed on logical, dynamic targets defining who should have the particular application e.g an AD OU.

1. User gets first machine. As part of the imaging process, the machine was not only joined to the Domain – but also added to the Accounting OU
2. SMP does AD Sync and 'sees' new machine in Accounting OU
3. All Managed Software Delivery policies applicable to the Accounting OU are applied to the machine.
4. Detection & Applicability Rules for each application are applied – applications that are not installed and are applicable … are installed.
5. User has motherboard failure – gets a new machine……. See Step 1

1. Customer creates additional Managed Software Delivery policies that use the uninstall command line.
2. Customer applies these policies to Targets that are machines that should NOT have the application
3. Policy runs, detects the software present and the applicability rule passes – Uninstall command is executed