Too often the office PCs seem to quickly fill up with software. It's never quite what you want your users to be using, mixing applications they've brought from home with tools and toys downloaded from the internet. What's become a sizeable problem for a small business with tens of desktop PCs can be a large chunk of the IT budget for a company with tens of thousands of users.
Controlling the desktop is a big problem for businesses. Support is expensive, and it's a lot easier to manage identical PCs than it is to debug problems on customised machines. Users may not overclock their work PCs, but they can install the strangest combinations of software - and cause the most infuriating and complex problems. The solution is simple - a common desktop environment, with known applications and file structures, all set up so that users are unable to make changes. However, the controlled common desktop is hard to create and to manage.
Perhaps the easiest way to manage standard software installations is to take a hands-off approach. Desktop PCs and laptops are provided with a standard set of applications, using tools such as Norton's Ghost or PowerQuest's Drive Image. These tools can be used to make a standard disk image, which is then installed on to a fresh hard drive when new machines are delivered. If a user's downloads corrupt essential tools, it's easy enough to wipe the hard drive and install a fresh image - trusting that the user has backed up data!
Disk image-based tools have one problem: operating systems have hardware dependencies. It's essential to have a separate image for each hardware platform, as Windows 2000 or XP will crash if the incorrect hardware profile is used. They also take time to create, and can be difficult to deploy - especially if you have to set up a whole batch of PCs.
A new version of Microsoft's Systems Management Server is just around the corner. A tool for managing the configuration of desktop PCs and servers, SMS 2003 can build a distributed deployment network that can manage PCs across different sites, with different software requirements. Using Windows' user policy tools, SMS can control the software users have access to, deploying new versions and patches when required.
Application configuration management tools have to be powerful and flexible to deal with the demands of business. Marimba began life as a content distribution tool for the web but has since become a set of tools for distributing and controlling software, as well as handling operating system migrations. Marimba can be used to audit PCs, giving up-to-date reports on the security patches deployed across a network.
Open source-based solutions are starting to offer attractive alternatives. Sun's Java Desktop System will offer a basic productivity suite on top of a Linux distribution. Intended for early adopters and evaluators, the first version is missing planned deployment and management tools that will make it easier to manage and control Linux desktop PCs.
Sun's vision of a self-configuring, centrally provisioned Java Desktop System is very similar to a pilot system at Newham Borough Council deployed by open source consultancy NetProject. This uses Linux-based desktop computers to provide secure network computing. Management tools enable the Linux PCs to self configure when initially connected to the network, and then automatically self update as new software is released.
A recent survey by IT consultancy Teksys showed that while many businesses believed they knew what software they were running, only 20% were certain, and most didn't have effective tools for managing their software assets. Asset management software is an important tool, helping organisations keep track of just what is being used and when. Businesses often over-license, and effective licence monitoring can lead to substantial savings. System management tools now often include asset control tools alongside configuration management, and BMC Software has made it a cornerstone of its Business Service Management model.
An alternate approach to desktop configuration management is to use tools such as Citrix's Metaframe to run applications from a server. Terminal clients on a desktop PC can deliver entire desktops or critical applications. This approach means that application versions can be tightly controlled, and user licenses monitored. Sun's SunRay terminals use a similar approach to deliver Unix applications, with a smart card authenticating users and allowing the system to move sessions between terminals - without losing any work.
IT budgets remain tight, and management and deployment tools need to show a quick return on investment. Application deployment tools must effectively manage software assets, and control licence costs, while keeping desktop chaos under control. It's a tough challenge but one that the current generation of configuration management tools look ready to take on.
