SMS End of Support - A Systems Management Decision Point
The Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003, also known as SMS 2003, has recently reached the end of mainstream support. That means those who continue to pay for support will receive fixes and security patches, but gone will be no-charge incident support, honoring of warranty claims and adding of any new features. SMS 2003 users will be left with two choices: either pay for the limited support, or take the Microsoft recommended path and migrate to Systems Center Configuration Manager 2007, known as SCCM 2007.
Still, SCCM 2007 or any software-only solution for that matter, present challenges. Many organizations simply lack the resources to ensure SCCM pre-requisites are in place - it’s a virtual alphabet soup of system requirements that include MMC 3.0, .NET Framework 2.0, Server 2003 SP1+, and SQL 2005 SP2 to name a few. Then they must deploy and test it, learn its nuances and keep it current. And with growing numbers of administrators now facing the need to manage Mac and Linux systems as well, it may be time for SMS users to make some decisions.
The fact is that today many alternative software delivery approaches exist beyond software-only solutions that are dramatically easier to deploy and maintain. Contrast the process of upgrading SMS to SCCM with an appliance-based solution for PC management. With an integrated appliance, upgrades are literally accomplished with the push of a button - because there simply are no system prerequisites, service packs or databases to worry about. Join us for a live demonstration of the Dell KACE Systems Management Appliance. You’ll see how one solution can be easy to install, use and maintain for all of your systems. Now that’s an easy decision.
Sincerely,
Wynn White
Vice President of Marketing, Dell KACE.
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