Managing the growing number of desktops, devices, and servers can be complex and expensive for your organization. IT managers need to address changing business needs with new tools that must be deployed alongside existing solutions. Before long, there is a cacophony of applications, desktops, devices, and servers—and each new desktop, mobile device, and security threat increases that complexity.

Using Microsoft management tools for desktop, device, and server management can help you simplify IT management and transform your IT department from an expensive cost center into a vital and strategic business asset.

Technology Challenge
The proliferation of applications, desktops, devices, and servers in an organization creates a complex and expensive IT environment. IT staff need to provide the best technology and tools to support business needs. Any change to the IT system, however, introduces the risk of breaking it. The challenge for IT professionals is to keep the system intact and secure while taking full advantage of both the technology they already have and new technology opportunities.

Challenges IT professionals face:

• Keeping the network running and available. The most important job of an IT professional is to make sure the network, and the services running in the network, are always available. Having insight into the state of all systems and services makes this job much easier. However, when the network is not well monitored, problems can become disasters if they cannot be found, diagnosed, and fixed.
• Keeping systems up to date with the latest software patches. Security threats are a constant concern that IT professionals need to diligently monitor and defuse. When standard versions of an operating system are used consistently throughout the organization, applying software patches is much easier. However, in today's complex world there are rarely consistent versions in place, making patching each system time consuming and expensive.
• Tracking hardware and software assets. Unused or lost hardware and software assets cost your company money. IT managers need to know what the assets are, where they are, and how to help workers use the assets productively.

Solution
Simplification of desktop, device, and server management is key for IT professionals to manage the proliferation of software and hardware in a cost-effective and more secure manner. Through techniques such as automation, standardization, compatibility testing, and improved utilization, they can best take advantage of the technology assets currently in use and incorporate the latest technology tools securely and efficiently. When desktop, device, and server management is optimized, your IT department can better contribute to the business goals of the company.

Ways to simplify desktop, device, and server management include automation, standardization and compatibility testing, and improved utilization.

Automation:

• Automated patch distribution. When software updates are available, apply them consistently across all applicable systems regardless of their differing versions or configurations information.
• Automated software distribution. Distribute software to targeted systems based on the unique state of each system or the unique needs of each end user.
• Automated tracking of hardware and software assets. Have an automated means for tracking your resources in the ever-changing enterprise IT environment. Know what you have, where it is located, and how it is configured-including mobile devices. Treat mobile devices like the other important business assets by applying the same level of management, monitoring, and security.

Standardization and compatibility testing:

• Standardized software image (desktops). Establish a simple and uniform means for maintaining user productivity by consistently making the latest software available to each desktop system.
• Application compatibility testing. Ensure that each application runs correctly before it is widely deployed across the system.
  

Improved utilization:

• Capacity analysis. Are your IT systems running at their full capacity? Understand what capacity you already have and make sure that all your resources are being fully utilized.
• Server consolidation (virtualization). Server consolidation can increase utilization rates of computing resources by combining workloads on a single hardware platform. Better efficiency equals lower cost.

Business Benefits
Simplifying desktop, device, and server management can benefit your organization by providing:

• A more consistent experience across the organization. Employees are more productive because they share a common work environment and because they experience fewer technology disruptions.
• Reduced costs and increased productivity. Operating system standardization reduces administration costs and increases productivity by helping IT staff to manage each user's desktop environment in a more consistent way. IT staff can easily install new programs and security updates from a central location instead of updating each desktop separately, which saves IT staff time and helps everyone start working with the new software more quickly.
• Efficient updates. Software updates can be deployed faster and cheaper when using automated software deployment tools.
• Better security. A well-managed environment will be a more secure environment. Configuration settings and policies that govern the deployment of software help ensure that systems are less vulnerable to security threats.
• Less downtime because of technology issues. Monitoring services help simplify identification issues, streamline the process for determining the root cause of the problem, and facilitate quick resolutions to restore services and prevent potential IT problems.
• Network-wide administration. System administration is made easier and more thorough by consolidating management consoles in a way that represents the entire network rather than each individual system.
• Better communication. Mobile workers can be kept up to date with direct connectivity between corporate networks and devices.
• More secure data. Administrators can help ensure data protection and compliance with corporate security policies including the ability to set password policies and remotely wipe devices.

Microsoft offers an integrated approach to building management tools that span the needs of an enterprise network to help ensure that IT challenges are met and turned into benefits. Microsoft System Center is the evolution of systems management: integrated, flexible, and knowledge-driven. System Center delivers an integrated, modular, ITIL-based family of systems management tools optimized for dynamic IT management.

WHAT THG DOES

Application Installation and Configuration
Centralized management of application installation and configuration helps streamline secure desktop management using System Center Configuration Manager and Group Policy.

Resource Monitoring and Reporting
A single "view" of network computing environment status enables proactive responses to enterprise security challenges using System Center Configuration Manager.

Patch Management
A patch management system is one of the most effective ways to keep client and server operating systems up to date and prevent security breaches using Windows Server Update Services.

System Security Configuration
Enterprise-wide standard security configurations for all systems enable security teams to quickly assess and respond to changes in the threat environment using Microsoft Forefront Client Security
Microsoft Active Directory Group Policy, Microsoft System Management Server Desired Configuration Monitoring, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Security Configuration Wizard, and Microsoft Group Policy Software Restriction Policies.

Mobile Device Management
Mobile devices are the fastest-growing group of devices in the enterprise landscape. Security management features can help protect data access and storage on mobile devices using System Center Mobile Device Manager.

Security Management and Reporting
A clear, unified view of the current and evolving security status of all managed devices enables security administrators to respond quickly to changes in the current threat environment using Microsoft System Center Reporting Manager 2006.