McAfee Rolls Out Updated Management Console

Included in ePolicy Orchestrator 3.0 is a new express global updating feature, which enables enterprises to update up to 50,000 systems in an hour or less, said Steve Crutchfield, group marketing manager at McAfee, based here. Previously, updating that many systems could take hours or even a few days, he said.

Although the update feature meets the needs of enterprise customers, the new Small Business Wizard helps small companies by providing a five-step process that simplifies the deployment of virus protection and security policies, Crutchfield said.

The addition of the Small Business Wizard demonstrates Network Associates' renewed channel focus on small and midsize companies, said Mike Menegay, senior vice president of North America channels and distribution at Network Associates.

Added in response to customer requests, another new feature in ePolicy Orchestrator 3.0, called Fusion Services, lets users customize the product's management capability by extending it to third-party applications. McAfee will provide professional services to integrate other products for customers, but the vendor also is mulling the option of having solution providers provide those services in the future, Crutchfield said.

Other new features in ePolicy Orchestrator 3.0 include streamlined reporting capabilities, including a one-page executive report, and enhanced functionality for mobile users, such as the ability to receive an update from the nearest server to save bandwidth.

McAfee's ePolicy Orchestrator usually is sold within suites, but as a stand-alone solution, the product's pricing starts at $24 and decreases based on volume, depending on licensing structure and support preferences. Version 3.0 is slated to ship at the end of this month.