A new era of desktop support
In its ongoing brief to improve the efficiency and resilience of support for the College’s information systems, IT Services is pleased to announce that it has recently made a significant investment in a software suite called Altiris, whose purpose is to facilitate a “managed desktop” environment for staff and students. Altiris will allow the College to capitalise on efficiencies already made in terms of defining hardware standards through the bulk purchasing scheme, by facilitating the central management of numerous key and time-consuming aspects of computer desktop support. Some of the key features that will be available via Altiris include:
- A centralised asset inventory of networked devices
- Automated software deployment and software packaging.
- Remote technical support
- Auditing/asset management
- Software licence monitoring
- Operating System imaging and migration
- Reporting
These features are fully supported on the PC platform and partially supported on the Mac platform; where Mac support is currently unavailable via Altiris, IT Services are investigating alternative methods of facilitating more advanced, centralised desktop support using other products such as Apple Remote Desktop (ARD).
Altiris is a complex product whose extensive functionality provides IT Services with the opportunity to review a number of its existing procedures and protocols in favour of more efficient practices. Development work is currently being undertaken to ensure that Altiris is implemented in a flexible manner that best reflects the needs of the College.
Implementation
The first priority for the Altiris project will be to conduct an audit of computers in the College, via a small piece of software known as an “agent”. Any PC which has logged in to the College network domain (GOLDNET) since 18th June will already have received a copy of the inventory agent. The next stage will be to distribute the agent to Apple Macs, following a period of enabling development on central systems. While the inventory will not be completed in time for this year’s audit requirements, IT Services expects to be able to offer comprehensive central inventory reporting for departments for all domain-connected IT equipment, to cater for future IT audit requirements.
Moving forward, all new support procedures will be fully tested within the department before being rolled out more comprehensively across the College; first to Open Access computers (beginning Christmas 2008) and then to departmental staff computers (beginning Easter 2009).
Altiris represents an exciting development in desktop management and support, which IT Services is very much looking forward to bringing to the College.