At PCM we spend most of our time helping clients manage their business networks and software applications; however there are times when we also need to spend time on our in house tools. For the last 3 years we have been using a remote monitoring software package from Level Platforms to manage our client’s servers and workstations. While we have gone through a few releases and updates over the last while, none have been as extensive as this last change. We had already been looking forward to this new release as we knew it was going to give us more tools and capabilities than ever before.
In February we spent a couple of weeks getting a new server prepared and the new Managed Workplace 2011 software installed. Once the testing was complete we then migrated all the data from our old server to this new server and upgraded the monitoring software at all of our client sites. The process wasn’t as smooth as we had initially hoped, however the end result was well worth the time. By the beginning of March we had our main service center running on the latest Windows Server 2008 operating system with newer SQL database software and the new Managed Workplace 2011 software.
So how will this new system benefit us? Right at the start we already saw that the new monitoring interface gave us much more detailed information for each monitored device than before. For example, in the past we could tell how much memory was installed in each device. Now we can see exactly how many memory slots are available, how many have been used and exactly what type of memory chip is installed in each slot! These types of advanced details are extremely helpful for our consultants as they work with the different devices.
In addition to better asset information we also now have a completely new remote monitoring agent. This new agent can be installed on any laptop or out of office computer so that it can still be appropriately monitored and maintained by our system. In the past we only installed an application on the client server, which was convenient, however once a computer left the company network we weren’t able to reach it. With the new remote agent we will be able to stay connect with all devices even if they are travelling outside the company network. This is extremely beneficial for people working out of home offices, or others that are constantly out on the road in hotels. Now their equipment can be managed and maintained just as well as the ones in the company office.
The feedback from our staff has been nothing but positive with this latest upgrade. The result for our clients is that we can now monitor and maintain all devices even better than before, making our Sentinel service stronger than ever. We’ll highlight other features and benefits in future articles.
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