Client Management Suite

Software Management what? Ooh, you mean delivering software packages to computers?

Not exactly no, the Symantec Software Management Solution product ends with the possible delivery of software packages, it does not start with the deployment.

Try to see the Software Management Solution as the center circle with all the components needed for a complete software management surrounding it.

Let’s start with the beginning:

Once upon a Symantec time, there was a Software Catalog. This software catalog was populated with the different software products found through the inventory solution.

Besides the software found on the endpoints, you can add your own software packages (Software programs wrapped in a nice jacket so you can distribute to multiple users/computers) to the Software Catalog, making it the company’s software library.

The Software Catalog now has two types of software:

• Found software that needs to be configured

• Imported software that’s already configured (we’ll talk more about this a little later on)

These two types of software can be “filed” in two different ways:

• Managed Software Product (this product is actively used and has to be included in the managed software product reports, actively metered for software usage and more)

• Unmanaged Software Product (this product is in my environment but I couldn’t care less for now)

Because unmanaged is a little straight forward (don’t do anything with it), I’ll ellaborate a bit on the Managed Software Product part.

If you choose to manage software through the Software Catalogue, the complete set of configurable features can be set now, from software product name to matching an existing software package and defining the correct program executables for application metering.

If you have the Asset Management Suite in place, you can immediately match this software product with new/existing contracts/acquired licenses.

Through this way you can completely and really quickly prepare your business for a software product lifecycle.

How cool is that?

Needless to say creating a software product from the Software pane – not from the Software Catalog – is performed in the same manner and speed, but hey, it’s said J

So, we created a software product and let’s assume a package is attached so Software Delivery can be set to a number of clients.

This part is the magic stuff of software management instead of delivering/sending a software

During the creation of a deliverable piece of software (Software Release) in Altiris, you have the possibility to set 3 major checks:

• Detection check

  • Is this piece of software already installed in this machine?

• Applicability check

  • Is this machine capable of getting this piece of software installed?

• Dependency check

  • Is there other software that needs to be installed before this piece of software (and more)?

    

Let’s now state you want to be sure that the computer groups 1,2 and 8 in your organization need to have software X on their machines exactly on day Y + 6, hour Z.

If the software would be installed prior to day Y + 6, all hell would break loose and management would come down to the basement to literally kick your ass

In the “early days” you had to create a policy/task that ran day Y + 6, hour Z, so no issues could pop-up and the helpdesk was not flooded with angry people.

The issue with this “way of work”, was that there were a lot computers that didn’t get the software exactly at that time (because of a slow download, holiday,…) and people would still get angry, calls to the helpdesk and management coming down to ask why it was taking so long to deliver a piece of software.

Everyone that once had the responsibility of this kind of work is now positively nodding his/her head and then blocking the bad memories back again.

Now then, let’s take this business challenge (yes, you read it right, delivering software is not only an IT thing, your business relies on successfull software management!) and use the latest Symantec Software Management Solution:

Day Y (6 days before the software has to be present on the computers), you create and immediately enable a Managed Software Delivery Policy to computer groups 1, 2 and 8 with the option to Remediate day Y + 6.

This freshly baked policy will start off to all the designated and active computers immediately with:

1. Checking if the software is already present

2. Checking if the computer is capable of getting this software (OS version, hardware,…)

3. Checking if there are other software packages that need to be present

When everything checks out, the computer will start downloading everything he needs and then wait until the moment he can install the package.

Through this manner, a very large percentage – if not all - of the designated computers will install software X on the time needed.

This means, no helpdesk calls, no angry people and no management that will come down to hurt you

Conclusion: The Symantec Software Management Solution is a very comprehensive product ready for every challenge in every environment