The New Role of ‘Any Point’ Management in a Multi-OS, Multi-Device World

Ever notice how certain shifts in the technology landscape often bring together previously unrelated areas in new and interesting ways? Take traditional systems management and mobile device management, for example. For most IT administrators, systems management embodies the tools and solutions to keep vital servers, desktops and critical endpoints up-to-date and running smoothly.

Meanwhile, early mobile device management solutions focused on gaining control over smartphones, tablets and laptops that flooded corporate environments. This influx of mobile devices has expanded the role and realm of systems management well beyond traditional endpoints to encompass “any points” that need to be secured, kept current and managed effectively.

Of course, this notion of “any points” broadens considerably when you think of all the connected devices, sensors and objects that will need to be managed with the “Internet of Things” (IoT). Equally important is protecting a company’s perimeter from threats coming from inside and outside the organization.

Luckily, the main tenets of systems management are still valid—a strong offense is the best defense. This ensures that multi-devices across multi-OS environments are configured, secured, updated and managed properly. By adhering to those tenets over the years, Dell KACE has become a recognized leader in what is now looking more and more like “any device, any place” management.

Last week, this leadership was reinforced when the Dell KACE K1000 V6 received top honors in a Product Group Test for Endpoint Security performed by SC Magazine.

In a side-by-side comparison of 12 products with endpoint security capabilities, the Dell KACE K1000 V6.0 was applauded for integrating endpoint security functionality and all the classic systems management capabilities. As a result, KACE easily identifies vulnerabilities across all endpoints and enforces compliance with company policies across multiple OS platforms and devices.

Dell KACE also was recognized for being able to auto discover network hardware and software configurations through both managed agents and agentless technology. This provides greater visibility across the entire infrastructure, which will help customers better manage all their connected devices as IoT gains momentum.

The K1 earned five out of five stars for its features, ease of use, performance, documentation, support and value for money, which enabled us to garner the publication’s “Best Buy” designation. The review team also lauded our “highly intuitive dashboard that made navigating functions a snap.”

 

We are extremely pleased to be recognized for our strength in endpoint security—and for standing out because we integrate with other functionalities to do more. We’re even more proud when our customers take advantage of this extended functionality to solve more problems in their environments.

A case in point: Earlier this year Pepperdine University received a best deployment award at the Info Security Global Excellence Awards for securing devices against “drive by” malware using Dell KACE.

Kim Cary, chief information security officer at Pepperdine, was quick to realize that traditional antivirus solutions were inadequate for stopping malware. Since Kim agrees with our “strong offense” rule, he took a proactive stance to stop the vulnerability and deployed KACE to automatically discover, inventory, configure, update and secure “any points” throughout his environment. In doing so, Pepperdine was able to remove the malware threat, reduce its overall security risk and improve IT service and support.

As part of Dell, we are uniquely positioned to help our customers do more while keeping pace with the twists and turns in an ever-changing IT landscape. The Dell KACE role in Dell Enterprise Mobility Management, for instance, helps customers secure all the devices across their organizations, regardless of where they are or who owns them. Dell EMM accomplishes this by delivering an end-to-end mobile/BYOD enablement solution that blends industry-leading IP from across our organization, encompassing Dell KACE, Dell SonicWALL, Dell Data Protection | Encryption and Dell Wyse.

What are you doing to stay ahead of the curve and deal with “any point/device” management? Drop me a line at Bill_Odell@DELL.com or on Twitter at @bodel.

About the Author: Bill Odell