System Center 2012 Deep Dive

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Last month I introduced each of the software packages for System Center 2012 and a high level overview of their purpose. This month I will take a deeper look into each of these pieces of software and how they may be of advantage to your organization.I will start with Configuration Manager, which is a core component of System Center 2012 that handles many different aspects of client machine management including:

  • Asset / Inventory
  • Software Distribution
    • User-centric application delivery
    • The administrator defines the application once and targets it to a user or group
    • Software Updating
      • Automatic deployment rules to automate the identity, download and deployment of updates.
      • Randomization of deadlines to reduce VM host impact in VDI scenarios.
      • OS Deployment
        • Image capture
        • Image delivery
        • Integrated driver catalog
        • Full unattended mode with media
        • Compliance and Settings
          • Ability to define standard configurations for applications and act appropriately to drifts.
          • Mobile Device Management
            • EAS-based policy delivery
            • Discovery and inventory
            • Settings policy
            • Remote wipe
            • Across Windows, Andorid, and Apple
            • Device Management
            • Remote Tools
            • Power Management
            • Security Management

 All of these features are heavily integrated into Windows operating systems for maximum effectiveness with enterprise reliability and scale.
The second piece of software we will discuss is Operations Manager. This consists of a simple and powerful monitoring platform across Windows and non-Windows devices. Some of its features include:

  • Easy-to-create Dashboards and Widgets accessible from a Windows console or Webpage including Sharepoint.
  • Consistent experience – a one pane of glass approach to monitoring and management for all the devices in your network including network devices, switches, firewalls, etc.
  • Application Performance Monitoring of .NET applications

Just as with Configuration Manager all of these features are heavily Windows integrated with familiar interfaces and tools.

The final piece of software I will cover in this newsletter is Virtual Machine Manager. This software consists of a flexible and cost-effective management of virtualized infrastructures across different platforms including VMware, XenServer and Hyper-V. Some of its features include:

  • Multi-vendor hypervisor support
  • Service templates
  • Server application virtualization
  • Dynamic optimization based on workload demands
  • Power management based on policy
  • Expanded PowerShell support

These are just a few of the different software packages included in the upcoming release of System Center 2012. As we continue to close in on the final release candidate, I will continue going over each of these solutions and how you might be able to leverage them in your organization.

Written by: Grant Becker, Systems Engineer