New & Improved - 29 Mar 2005

Product Spotlight

Unicenter Desktop DNA 11.0
http://www.ca.com, 631-342-6000, 888-423-1000

Computer Associates (CA) released Unicenter Desktop DNA 11.0, a PC management solution that can help you easily transfer settings, data, and preferences when performing a migration, a hardware refresh, a hardware upgrade, OS upgrades, OS deployments, and desktop recovery. Unicenter Desktop DNA automates the management, transfer, and maintenance of end-user information. The software's ability to easily replicate desktop configurations can also reduce support costs and ensure end-user productivity. The product also features the ability to maintain crucial file information for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulatory mandates.

Jacob Lamm, senior vice president of Unicenter Desktop Management at CA, said, "With Unicenter Desktop DNA, CA is providing customers with a scalable, streamlined solution for automating their time-consuming manual migration processes. This latest release adds the functionality necessary for customers to achieve regulatory compliance during OS upgrades, PC replacement, and desktop recovery while further reducing their total cost of PC ownership."

Other features include recurring and incremental DNS capture, advanced data collection, and support for moves to Active Directory (AD). Pricing starts at $22 per node for 100 nodes. Volume discounts are available.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

Lower Desktop Management Costs
http://www.ondemandsoftware.com, 239-495-0541, 866-495-0541

OnDemand Software released Asset Management System, software that proactively manages assets to lower desktop management costs. Administrators can use the software to obtain an inventory of all the applications installed on a specific machine, all the MSI packages introduced to the database, and all the files on a machine. You can now have a complete inventory of both the application- and the file-level. Asset Management System is included in OnDemand's WinINSTALL and Desktop Availability Suite. You can use custom asset tracking fields in WinINSTALL and the Desktop Availability Suite to inventory nondiscoverable fixed assets and computers in one database. When you combine such information with data gathered by a hardware and software inventory, you can assign assets a location, contact, cost, and other data. The software includes license compliance checking to control software usage and licensing and can discover the physical location of applications on the network and determine which applications are used and how often. Pricing is $17 per desktop.

BACKUP AND RECOVERY

Back Up, Sync, and Encrypt Data
http://www.backup2005.com

RD Technologies released Backup2005 Synchronizer, an application that can back up, synchronize, and encrypt data between two computers, disks, or folders. Backup2005 Synchronizer can maintain multiple versions of the same file. You can save synchronization jobs in a script to be reused or scheduled. The software comes with a Live synchronization module, so you can get an immediate copy of files that you're working on. Backup2005 Synchronizer can back up data to a network drive or an external drive. Backup2005 Synchronizer encrypts data using a 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption key. Backup2005 Synchronizer runs on Windows 2003/XP/2000/Me/98 systems and costs $35.

SECURITY

Protect Your Enterprise from Laptop Vulnerabilities
http://www.crossteccorp.com, 561-391-6560, 800-675-0729

CrossTec released NetOp Desktop Firewall, software to protect enterprises from the vulnerabilities associated with using laptop machines on a corporate network. The firewall is a driver-centric firewall that loads as a driver before your PC connects to the network. NetOp Desktop Firewall provides process and application control, protecting all computers on the corporate network while ensuring laptop security. The centrally managed firewall restricts traffic into and out of network machines via port, protocol, and IP address. NetOp Desktop Firewall also provides process control to limit which applications run on each user's machine and to patrol against the execution of malicious applications such as viruses, worms, spyware, and adware. The firewall's centralized management utility lets you create corporate policies that provide protection whether the systems are on or off the corporate network. NetOp Desktop Firewall costs $59 per license with volume pricing available. The optional centralized management utility, NetOp Policy Server, costs $1950 for a single-server license.

SECURITY

Eliminate Password Calls to Your Help Desk
http://www.aspg.com, 239-649-1548, 800-662-6090

Advanced Software Products Group (ASPG) released ReACT 2.1.2, software designed to automate the password reset and synchronization process across the enterprise. ReACT eliminates the need to reset a password to a temporary value and lets the end user reset his or her own password at any time without requiring the user to change his or her password again at sign on. The software securely authenticates user requests for a password reset, then establishes a permanent, usable password on all affected systems. The software also provides security professionals, Help desk teams, and corporate auditors with security assurance by logging and reporting all activities related to password reset. The software captures user information when a reset is requested and logs all successful or failed authentication activities. Pricing is $5000 per mainframe, $1000 per server, and $10 per user. ASPG provides a 25 percent discount on the user rate for sites with more than 1500 users.

SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Monitor and Manage Your Infrastructure
http://www.opmanager.com, 925-924-9500, 888-720-9500

AdventNet released ManageEngine OpManager 5.5, a network-monitoring tool for small to midsized enterprises that provides integrated fault- and performance-management functionality. OpManager autodiscovers the entire network, groups devices into intuitive maps, and monitors them in real time. The software instantaneously sends alerts to administrators via email when a fault occurs. OpManager also provides comprehensive reports and graphs, including more than 160 out-of-the-box graphs on Cisco Systems' devices, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Lotus Notes, and Oracle and Dell servers. Enhancements to the new version include URL monitoring to ensure URLs are reachable and serving pages, Windows event-log monitoring, Windows services monitoring, and a quick configuration wizard. Pricing is $795 for a single-license.

SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Automate Patch Management
http://www.newboundary.com, 612-379-3805, 800-747-4487

New Boundary Technologies released Prism Patch Manager 6.3, automated patch-management software that features patch rollback capability so that you can return systems to their pre-patch configuration. In addition to Windows, the new version also features support for Red Hat Linux and Sun Microsystems' Solaris OSs. Other enhancements include support for Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio; IP range and subnet scanning ability to help you determine which systems need patching based on IP range, subnet, and other network configuration settings; reboot notification capability to notify users about a pending reboot following background patch installation; and master agent management to specify names and descriptions for master agents so that they can more easily manage multiple agents. Pricing for Prism Patch Manager 6.3 starts at $11 per seat for 100 to 499 users.

SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Create a Stretch Cluster
http://www.nsisoftware.com, 317-598-0185, 888-674-9495

NSI Software released GeoCluster 4.4, software that extends the capabilities of Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS) to create a stretch cluster. Although MSCS provides a high level of application availability, MSCS clusters only maintain one copy of the data and allow failover only within limited distances. GeoCluster 4.4 offers added data protection by letting MSCS cluster members have their own independent copy of the data, removing the single-point-of-failure, and letting cluster members be separated over much greater distances. GeoCluster 4.4 provides advanced customization and scalability and can better handle growing data environments in terms of number of servers and the amount of data and rate of change. Additional features include intelligent data compression, email event notifications, customized user views within the management console, and Web software updates. Pricing is $4495.