With an eye squarely focused on meeting growing demands for server
availability and security, LANDesk Software revamped its remote
management product designed to enable IT professionals to monitor and
improve server performance in real time.
Server Manager 8.5 improves patch management performance, software distribution and remote
control functions, according to Steve Workman, director of product
management at LANDesk.
“We tried to refine our approach to server management, clearly focusing
on server configuration and availability,” Workman said of the improvements.
In addition to real-time monitoring, key features of the software include
on-demand management capabilities that have a minor impact, or often none at
all, to server CPU and memory resources. The function increases the
stability performance of the server, Workman said. The product’s
vulnerability assessment uses a server-specific application and system
vulnerability information in real time, allowing customers to immediately
address any potential flaws.
“LANDesk Server Manager 8.5 is designed to provide IT managers with
increased server availability and security,” Dave R. Taylor, vice president
of worldwide marketing for LANDesk Software, said in a statement.
“Server stability is one of the top concerns for administrators, and LANDesk
Server Manager 8.5 offers on-demand technology and increased ease-of-use
that helps deliver this.”
The software also provides Intelligent Platform Management Interface
(IPMI) 2.0 support, which allows remote recovery of downed servers. Customers
can quickly gather critical management data like temperature, chassis
identity and intrusion detection, even when the operating system is not
running, Workman said.
Workman said the improvements are a response to customer requests for
more efficient server manageability.
“Our focus has been on server configuration and security,” he said.
“The server needs to be up, running and secure.”
Pricing for Server Manager 8.5 starts at $299 per server and includes a
one-year subscription for the patch management program. It supports the Windows,
Linux and Unix operating systems.