14 DAY TRIAL // The System Center Essentials Management Suite is a new license Microsoft designed to streamline the adoption of desktop and server management technology by midsize organizations. According to the Redmond-based company, customers will receive Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 as a part of the System Center Essentials Management Suite. The software giant indicated that the new suite was set up to help midsize companies that had already stretched IT resources as much as possible to not only streamline the deployment of servers and clients but also to seamlessly manage machines across their environments.
“We’re helping midsize organizations optimize IT productivity and manage desktops and servers through a single management console,” revealed Brad Anderson, corporate vice president of the Management and Services Division at Microsoft.
In order to get the System Center Essentials Management Suite to customers, Microsoft is working in concert with original equipment manufacturers, with Fujitsu and Lenovo as the main partners. And it is through the OEM channel that the software giant is enabling midsize businesses to take advantage of including a technology upgrade program featured in the System Center Essentials Management Suite. The upgrade program is designed to allow customers to buy existing solutions and to deploy System Center Essentials 2010 when it becomes available in 2010.
“We’re partnering with Fujitsu, Lenovo and other OEMs so customers can work with familiar and proven solution providers. Together we’re delivering a solution that has been built and packaged to address the needs of these customers. An easy-to-use, integrated solution that helps reduce IT costs, and streamline control of physical and virtual desktops and servers,” Anderson added.
Essentially, the ideal customers for the System Center Essentials Management Suite are organizations with fewer than 250 desktops in their environment, but more than 50, and with less than 30 servers. The network management solutions from Microsoft will simplify administration of all desktop and servers in such environments.
“Many midsize organizations want to standardize IT assets and operations while setting a course for future growth. Microsoft’s server and management solutions integrated with Fujitsu ServerView Suite and running on Fujitsu PRIMERGY servers offer customers an ideally matched and reliable infrastructure that increases their operational efficiency,” stated Jens-Peter Seick , Senior Vice President, x86 Server Product Unit Fujitsu Technology Solutions.
System Center Essentials 2010, which will come to the table with functionality equivalent to System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2, is scheduled for general availability in the second quarter of 2010. Come October 1, 2009, Microsoft will also give green light to a promotion through its volume licensing channel, offering Software Assurance and discounted licenses for Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Workgroup Edition.
“Lenovo ThinkServers, running Microsoft’s server virtualization and management suite, offer customers an ideal platform that can help them be more efficient, lower operational costs and optimize power consumption. Now customers will have a turnkey solution that allows for scalability in their business as well as one touch point to easily manage their physical and virtual IT systems,” added Tom Tobul, Executive Director, Enterprise Systems, Software and Peripherals, Lenovo.