Novell ZENworks Desktop Management Solution Drives Management Costs Down, Productivity and Efficiency Up

Novell, Inc., a leader in eBusiness solutions and Net services software, today announced the availability of Novell® ZENworks® for Desktops 3.2, the latest version of the most widely deployed directory-enabled desktop management solution on the market.

13 August 2001

  • ZENworks uses the power of Novell NDS eDirectory to significantly reduce costs by simplifying the management of networked computers
  • Novell ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 features enterprise workstation imaging and enhanced thin-client session management to ease network administration
  • ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 operates on various network operating systems including NetWare and Windows NT/2000

Novell, Inc., a leader in eBusiness solutions and Net services software, today announced the availability of Novell® ZENworks® for Desktops 3.2, the latest version of the most widely deployed directory-enabled desktop management solution on the market. The new ZENworks for Desktops features advanced enterprise workstation imaging, imaging compression and enhanced thin-client session management, powerful new tools designed to address the challenges of limited bandwidth in the face of increasingly mobile workforces and highly distributed desktop environments. Leveraging the power of Novell NDS® eDirectory to simplify management, ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 operates across network operating systems, including Novell NetWare® and Windows NT*/2000, managing Windows workstations on networks as one Net. According to a recent IDC white paper, ZENworks gave customers a payback time of less than three months and an average three-year return on investment (ROI) of 2,039 percent. (See today's Novell announcement, Novell's ZENworks Receives Top Marks from Industry Analysts for Return on Investment and Solving Network Management Challenges.")

"ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 enhances what is already the leading desktop management product on the market," said Brad Anderson, ZENworks business unit manager for Novell. "ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 delivers management features that further reduce the time, costs and resources associated with managing workstations. Customers can save millions of dollars, using their resources for more important objectives like delivering improved service to their own customers."

Novell ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 will also feature an add-on option supporting PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) functionality - ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 Preboot Services. PXE is part of Intel's Wired for Management specification and allows a workstation to be booted and managed before the workstation operating system starts. This will provide ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 customers completely hands-free, birth-to-death management of workstations. Technicians no longer need to visit machines to deliver or build the desktop operating system, vastly simplifying the management of Net resources and reducing the cost of a customer's rollout of Windows 2000 Professional or other desktop operating system. ZENworks provides the only imaging solution on the market that identifies the configuration of the PC and applies the correct image automatically according to policies stored in the directory.

ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 Enhancements
Enhancements to ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 include:

  • ZENworks Imaging compression: Allows desktop OS image files to be 40 to 60 percent smaller on average, significantly accelerating their deployment while reducing traffic over the wire.
  • Enhanced thin-client session management: ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 delivers enhancements in stability, scalability and customization for all customers managing thin-client sessions using ZENworks.
  • Policy Deployment wizard: The new ZENworks Policy Deployment wizard allows customers to automate the creation and replication of ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 policies within their tree. This means bringing a new department or site online and creating the corporate standard policies requires just a couple of mouse clicks.
  • Updated inventory scanning to read Windows Management Interface (WMI) data.
  • ZENworks Imaging client/server multicast: Allows customers to push desktop OS images to multiple workstations through a single multicast session from the server. This enhancement decreases time and bandwidth consumption during mass deployment of workstation image.
  • Advanced imaging scripting: Lets customers embed advanced imaging commands within the imaging policy. Tasks such as partition manipulation and other imaging tasks that were previously only available from the imaging engine's command prompt are now available through ConsoleOne®.
  • Remote control enhancements: The new remote control agent features compression over the wire, giving ZENworks remote control a speed boost from 20 to 50 percent. In practical terms, users can expect to comfortably remote control a 1024x768x256 color screen resolution over a 64Kbps WAN link.
  • Accessibility improvements: Full support for U.S. Government Section 508.
  • Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) enhancements to accommodate changes in Windows installer technology.

"ENGL has used Novell's ZENworks for Desktops 3 to provide comprehensive management of some 30,000 of our customers' desktops and disconnected laptops," said Colin Dowman, director of Expert Networking Group Limited (ENGL), a Novell Business Expert partner. "The enhanced features of ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 will allow ENGL to further reduce our customers' costs. In addition, ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 Preboot Services will give our customers complete lifecycle management of desktops, eliminating the need for pre-delivery desktop configuration."

When ZENworks for Desktops is combined with ZENworks for Servers, which automates server updates, businesses gain an extremely cost-effective end-to-end management solution for their entire network. Administrators can automate software packages or desktop images, deploy them once on a single server, and let ZENworks' Tiered Electronic Distribution (TED) deliver the content to NetWare, NT and Windows 2000 servers and desktops throughout the organization.

Pricing and Availability
Novell ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 will be available Aug. 15 through Novell authorized resellers and solution providers. The product will also be available at http://shop.novell.com for full list price of $59 per user license. In addition, ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 Preboot Services will be available for $10 per user. For more information about ZENworks, visit http://www.novell.com/products/zenworks.

About Novell
Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL), is a leader in eBusiness solutions and Net services software designed to secure and power the networked world. Novell and its subsidiary, Cambridge Technology Partners, help organizations solve complex business challenges, simplify their systems and processes, and capture new opportunities with one Net solutions. Novell provides worldwide channel, consulting, education and developer programs to support its offerings.

For information on Novell's complete range of products and services, contact Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272), or visit Novell's Web site at http://www.novell.com. Information on eBusiness and e-integration solutions from Cambridge Technology Partners can be accessed at http://www.ctp.com. Press may access Novell announcements and company information on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com/pressroom.

Novell, NetWare, ConsoleOne, NDS and ZENworks are registered trademarks and eDirectory is a trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. *All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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