Novell Delivers First Automated Desktop Management Solution With Native Directory Support for Microsoft Networks

Novell today introduced a new solution to significantly ease desktop management of Windows operating systems, including Vista, for customers who need streamlined management in their Microsoft and Novell environments. With native integration for both Microsoft* Active Directory* and Novell® eDirectoryTM, Novell ZENworks® Configuration Management is the first product on the market to enable real-time, identity-based systems management that speeds service delivery and ensures accurate desktop configuration. This dynamic approach makes desktop configuration changes immediately whenever network user accounts are changed. Built with the Novell Desktop-to-Data Center Management Blueprint for delivering ITIL based services, ZENworks Configuration Management improves IT efficiency and increases user productivity.

"We installed ZENworks and were up and running in no time," said David Jones, Head of Technology Services at Virgin Radio. "This elegant solution installs quickly and is easy to use. ZENworks Configuration Management simplifies desktop management, delivering the functionality and control that meet our user's needs and work habits, while reducing the overall effort and cost of managing our desktops."

ZENworks Configuration Management gives organizations the ability to manage desktops based on their user's network identities, which can include a combination of user business role, location or group membership. This enables the delivery of applications, content and IT resources tailored to the personal needs of each user. For customers who require device-focused management, the product can also function independently of eDirectory and Active Directory.

This is the next generation of ZENworks systems management for desktop devices. It further delivers on the Novell desktop-to-data center management vision and runs on both Windows, Linux* and Novell Open Enterprise Server (Linux). It gives customers with a single OS or mixed IT environment the ability to choose the tools they want to manage their desktops. As organizations grow and add new operating systems, like Vista, desktop configuration management becomes even more important for aligning IT operations to business processes.

A recent Gartner** report on the total cost of ownership (TCO) for Vista stated, "The best way to reduce PC TCO is to improve the way PCs are managed. Our model shows that a typically managed desktop can reduce TCO by more than 13%. Removing administrator access from appropriate users and adding policy and process to consistently manage desktops can reduce TCO by 37% compared with an unmanaged desktop."

Unlike competitors, ZENworks Configuration Management uses a policy-driven approach, that provides advanced desktop management capabilities, including personality migration, standard operating environment deployment, maintenance, and inventory reporting. The modern Web-service based console gives administrators a complete view of all defined policy compliance, including device configuration lockdown and software distribution to the desktop. Its powerful centralized control features, like collaborative remote control, allow IT administrators to troubleshoot, assess and update workstations anywhere in the organization from one location.

"Customers need automated, streamlined desktop management solutions that help them maintain control of their IT infrastructure without business disruption," said Joe Wagner, general manager of systems and resource management at Novell. "Novell ZENworks Configuration Management fits easily into a customer's existing network and identity management infrastructure so they can quickly realize high return on their investment while minimizing the burden of IT administration for their organization."

For more information about systems management solutions from Novell, visit http://www.novell.com/zenworks.