Users Seek More Info on Microsoft's Model Plan

Eric Lai   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other ROI Stories  

Take Control! Managing Your Application Library The Advantages of Migrating to Windows Vista® and Office 2007 Simultaneously Eliminate Excedrin Headaches: Simple, Time-Effective, Powerful PC Image Management The Trend from Unix to Linux in SAP Data Centers 3PAR Thin Copy Desktop: A VDI-Optimized Storage Solution Improving Correspondence Management for Financial Services Firms with Adobe LifeCycle ES Learn-Fast Guide: Software as a Service is Growing Up SaaS Solutions for Remote Systems Management The Business Value of Tape Storage Sign up to receive Software Resource Alerts

May 1, 2006 (Computerworld) -- SAN DIEGO -- Microsoft Corp. last week took several steps designed to bolster its System Center line of management tools. But some attendees at the Microsoft Management Summit here said they were disappointed by the lack of new information about the company's Dynamic Systems Initiative.

DSI is Microsoft's overarching strategy for making systems more self-managing through the use of software models in which IT staffs can capture data about their computing environments. The System Center products, including Systems Management Server (SMS) and Microsoft Operations Manager, are also key components of DSI.

But the System Center announcements made at last week's conference were "more tactical than strategic," said a systems engineer who asked not to be identified. "In six months, I'm going to have to think about how to implement these tools. What I got was very much an appetizer. What I needed was a full entree."

"Some of the features they showed were nice, but I was looking for more architect-scale news," said another attendee who also didn't want to be identified.

In an interview, Bob Muglia, senior vice president of Microsoft's server and tools business, said that the company shipped the first design-side version of its System Definition Model (SDM) as part of the Visual Studio 2005 Team System development tool set released last fall. SDM is the technology that can be used to create models as part of DSI.

Muglia also pointed to Distributed Management Task Force Inc.'s announcement last week that it had accepted the Web Services for Management specification as a preliminary standard. Microsoft was one of the development leaders on WS-Management, which it views as a key element of DSI, because the standard will help ease interoperability between Microsoft's tools and software from other vendors.

"We announced DSI three years ago, and since then, we've kept on driving forward and filling in the blanks," Muglia said.

System Center competes with product suites such as Hewlett-Packard Co.'s OpenView, IBM's Tivoli and CA Inc.'s Unicenter. At last week's conference, Microsoft announced Service Desk 2007, a help desk application that currently is in beta testing. It also showed off features that will be in the upcoming Version 4 of SMS, including support for Microsoft's Network Access Protection technology.

The NAP tools will be able to check PCs running Windows Vista to see if they have the latest security updates. If not, SMS will prevent them from accessing a corporate network until the required updates are installed and will notify users about their status via pop-up messages.

"You can patch all day, but what happens when a user logs in before getting the latest updates?" said Bryan Henson, a senior systems engineer at Pioneer Natural Resources Co. in Irving, Texas. The oil and gas company uses SMS 2003 to manage 1,600 PCs and 400 servers worldwide. Henson said NAP is a feature that Pioneer "had been asking Microsoft for for a long time."

Continued...
1 | 2 | NEXT  

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"An approaching hurricane fortuitously recalls the famous statement on planning from Eisenhower. We should heed his words...." Read more... "Microsoft now has 10 million paying customers for its Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), which is the license which businesses..." Read more... Read more Management posts or See all Blogs

iPhone 3G owner sues Apple, AT&T over dropped calls, app crashes Mozilla: Firefox is faster than Chrome Upcoming Microsoft patch lineup could be 'massive,' says researcher More top stories...

Microsoft explains Seinfeld-Windows TV ad: just a 'teaser' Continuing coverage: Google's Chrome browser Social Security numbers exposed on Iowa land-records Web site

Microsoft warns of IE8 lock-in with XP SP3 Users of Windows XP SP3 who try out IE8 Beta 2 won't be able to uninstall either one under certain circumstances. Opinion: Why Google has lost its mojo -- and why you should care Google has gone from innovative upstart to fat-and-happy industry leader in what seems like record time. Preston Gralla explains. Review: Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 offers some nifty new features Microsoft's latest beta of IE8 includes better tab management, new services such as Web Slices and Accelerators, and the new 'porn mode.' IT Schools to Watch 2008 These leading-edge graduate schools are moving at the pace of the IT workplace, delivering coursework that's relevant to today's IT professionals. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland Security Apple's iPhone Ask a Premier 100 IT Leader Bill Gates steps down BlackBerry Legal Battle Data Security Breaches Electronic Voting Firefox H-1B Visas HP's Boardroom Scandal Handheld Devices Hurricane Katrina Aftermath Microsoft Legal Issues Microsoft's Vista Open Source RFID Technology SCO's Linux Fight Sarbanes-Oxley Act Spam Voice Over IP Wi-Fi Windows Meta File Vulnerability Windows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class 2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2006 Salary Survey 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 IT Forecast 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 40 Years of Computerworld ASPs, Take Two Best Places to Work in IT 2003 Best Places to Work in IT 2004 Best Places to Work in IT 2005 Best Places to Work in IT 2006 Business Intelligence Home Runs Business Intelligence: Smarter BI Business Intelligence: The Future of BI CRM Goes Vertical CRM: Sober CRM Career Planning Guide 2005 Careers: IT Profession 2010 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005 Data Management: Mining for Gems Data Management: Taming Data Chaos Development: Hard-Workin' Web Sites Development: New Tools New Choices Development: The New World of Application Development Development: The Web Services Tsunami Development: Web Services Hurdles Disaster Recovery: Preparing for the Worst E-commerce Grows Up E-mail/Groupware: Big Decisions Faces of Mobile IT Forecast 2006 Global Mobile Hardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple Challenges Hardware: On-Demand Un-Hyped Hardware: The Shape of Things to Come Horizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Technologies IT Management: Guide to Managing Vendors IT Management: Navigating Global IT IT Management: Recovery Ahead IT Management: The Future of IT IT Management: The Resourceful Project Manager Innovative Technology Awards 2004 Management: Reinventing IT Microsoft in Transition Mobile/Wireless Leaders and Laggards Mobile/Wireless: The Untethered Worker Mobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge Costs Network Management: Taking Control Networking: Turbulence Ahead! Networking: VoIP Goes Mainstream Operating Systems: In the Slow Lane Operating Systems: Linux Goes Global Operating Systems: Should You Nix Unix? Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's Guide Outsourcing: Outsourcing Dangers Premier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in Class Premier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in Class ROI: Do the Math! Salary Survey 2003 Salary Survey 2004 Salary Survey 2005 Security Action Plan Security: Compliance Headaches Security: Proactive Security Security: Risk and Reward Security: Tips From Security Pros Souped-up Security Storage: Battling Complexity Storage: Cheap & Secure Data Stores Storage: Stretching Your Storage Dollars Storage: The Lean Storage Machine Storage: The New Rules of Storage Storage: The Ultimate Backup Guide Supply Chain: Missing Links Supply Chain: RFID Reality Check The Business of Security Web 2.0 Security Wireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone Windows Protection Zone Identity & Security Management Zone See your link here

Computerworld Technology Briefing: An open-source path to optimal virtualization Download this Technology Briefing now! (Source: Novell/IBM/Intel) Virtualization is about a lot more than just lowering total cost of ownership. In fact users that have taken an open source path to virtualization have realized the additional, mission-critical benefit of markedly reduced IT complexity, as well as a more flexible infrastructure that is easier to change to meet shifting, often unpredictable business requirements. Download this executive briefing  From Laggard to Leader: Transforming the Data Center From Laggard to Leader: Transforming the Data Center Register for this complimentary live webcast today! Go to the webcast  Windows Vista®: A Cyber Security Shield Get this paper now! (Source: Dell) Windows Vista® incorporates a number of new and enhanced security features that address spyware, security vulnerabilities and end user naivete. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Death to PST: Hidden Cost of Email Mismanagement Extend, Replace, or Convert; which is the best way forward for COBOL Applications? The Trend from Unix to Linux in SAP Data Centers View more whitepapers

• iPhone 3G owner sues Apple, AT&T over dropped calls, app crashes
• Microsoft explains Seinfeld-Windows TV ad: just a 'teaser'
• Mozilla: Firefox is faster than Chrome
• More top stories 

Brought to you by Computerworld and InfoWorld, this virtual conference focuses on key areas such as: Service-oriented architecture (SOA) The event-driven enterprise Software-as-a-service (SaaS) Business architecture Plus many more tools to build, implement and maintain an agile architecture for the enterprise. This new and exciting event happens on September 30th from 10am - 6pm ET / 7am-3pm PT. Register now

Creating Tiered Storage Architecture This paper shows how Brocade StorageX enables tiers of storage across Windows and NetApp storage to align storage practices with organizational objectives. Download this white paper now!

Best Places to Work in IT Where can you earn top dollar, get the best benefits, the latest IT and more? Find out in our 14th annual survey.