ScriptLogic Not Taking It Easy

In IT, if something is easy for a user, chances are it's difficult for the IT pro. And vice versa—if something's easier for IT, it's harder for the user. Who gets to have the easy day today? It seems like it's never both groups that have the same easy day. But ScriptLogic hopes to change that with its releases of Desktop Authority 7.7 and Desktop Authority MSI Studio 4.0.

Desktop Authority 7.7 supports 64-bit machines (an earlier version already added support for Windows Vista) and ScriptLogic has made enhancements to the patching option. For example, now a location that's not connected to the Internet can still get a patch—admins at a location that does have Internet access can download the patch into a zip file and do a manual installation. You can also do rollbacks enterprise-wide—if a patch causes a problem you can go back to the previous state and remove the patch. Another new feature is one that even ScriptLogic's internal customers requested—the ability to defer a patch until a more convenient time, say, instead of at logoff, which might end up being counterproductive for users. Users can also defer rebooting until later. ScriptLogic also added USB port security—before, you could block or allow 20 or so types of devices such as BlackBerries, but now admins can block and allow by the serial number of a device for greater control over mobile devices.

Desktop Authority MSI Studio 4.0 is a management tool that integrates with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (SCCM) to assist IT pros to capture and repackage application installers and publish software. An improved interface lets admins customize the interface while they're creating MSI packages. It also has a custom action wizard so that now if an IT shop wants something more advanced it can kick off an SQL script and create custom actions.

ScriptLogic, a subsidiary itself of Quest Software, has also been busy this November acquiring Kemma Software, the Help desk software company, and this week it released ScriptLogic BridgeTrak 7.0, a comprehensive help desk management solution based on Kemma's solution. Then today, ScriptLogic announced Security Explorer for SQL Server, a solution whose goal is to help admins easily secure SQL Server.