Intel Adds PC Management Tools

Intel

Targeting midmarket clients, Intel introduced LANDesk Asset Service to remotely inventory PCs, laptops and servers as well as the applications running on them. The service can be hosted by solution provider partners and by Intel's hosting division, Intel Online Services, said Robert Naegle, director of marketing development at Intel.

"PC inventory is core to about every function an IT person has: What do I have, where is it and what's on it?" said Naegle.

When activated, the service transparently pushes down a small software agent to the devices, collects inventory and configuration data and removes the agent from the device when the data collection is over, leaving no resident agent on the device that needs to be maintained, Naegle said.

Alvaka Networks, a Huntington Beach, Calif., solution provider reselling the service, has found it is especially impressive as a tool to manage software license compliance, said Unnar Gardarsson, network engineer at Alvaka.

With organizations like the Business Software Alliance and Microsoft cracking down on software piracy, customers are looking for tools to help them audit their networks, Gardarsson said.

"Customers want to get their licenses up to par," he said.

Intel also introduced Instant Support Suite, a product help-desk personnel can use remotely to control an end user's system, Naegle said.

When users call the help desk with problems, the help-desk representative sends an e-mail with a URL, directing the user to download a small software agent. Once the agent is installed, help-desk personnel can control the machine remotely and can implement file transfers, patch downloads and system reboot, he said.

Once the session is complete, the software agent is removed from the user's system, Naegle said.

The new management products also help cut costs by eliminating the need for solution providers or IT departments to deploy staff on-site to track inventory or fix system problems, he said.

The Instant Support Suite, available at the end of next week, is priced at $7,995 per help-desk agent console, with volume discounts available. LANDesk Asset Service is available now for a monthly fee of $7 per node.