The Device Management Solution area is concerned with the efficient management of IT and Communications devices (Laptops, Desktops, Tablets, Servers (Real and Virtual), Printers, Smart Phones and Routers, Access Devices and Gateways).

We have a highly advanced, set of Spokes that allow us the gain a comprehensive insight into the operation and management of many different types of device and also to take remote control of them for security, training and software/firmware maintenance purposes.

While our Device Management suite of Spokes are all offered as solutions that a customer can buy as part of a CEP implementation, we also offer some of these Spokes on a Cloud based Software as a Service (SaaS) basis, with the CEP element either in the Cloud as well or maintained by the customer. This makes it easy to outsource the day to day management of your IT assets, while still having total control of the information about how those assets are being used and how they are being managed (a good way to ensure that you stay on top of the value you are getting from your outsource contract).

This solution area, in particular is represented by many solutions that are well established in the market. Virtus IT has developed some of the Spokes in this Solution Area, however the majority come from a small number of organisations whose products have the following characteristics:

• A proven track record with a comprehensive customer base

• At least the same key functionality as the leading providers

• Some innovative features that are not available with other tools but highly relevant to the challenges faced by those responsible for managing IT estates (e.g. Server consolidation functionality that operates on both Physical and Virtual servers, allowing for significant cost reduction in large server farms)

• Highly cost competitive – our selected Spokes are on average 40% cheaper than comparable products

• Relatively short implementation periods (with no large consultancy costs)

• Proven to give a good ROI

While the Device Management Solution Area is self contained when all the Spokes are integrated through CEP, many of these Spokes can be utilised in our other Solution Areas to provide supplementary context information about the devices on which other services may run. For example the CEM solutions can monitor the quality of a Video call made on a softphone running on a laptop. However Device Management Spokes can also be connected to the CEP to provide information about everything else that is running  on the laptop and the status of the laptop at the time of the call, so that should there be an issue with the call quality we will have every bit of relevant information about the device making that call.

This becomes increasingly important as Unified Communications and Device Convergence form an ever greater part of our interaction with technology.

The Spokes that we have in the Device Management Solution Area are many, however the following list provides a representative summary:

• Comprehensive device discovery functionality – web based, will scan your network and identify the IP devices on it

• Comprehensive LAN topology discovery and representation – web based, an extension of the above functionality, will work out your LAN topology and produce a graphical representation of it

• Web based LAN and access link testing – allowing you to identify the maximum number of (for example) simultaneous VoIP calls that can be handled by your LAN to an acceptable quality level, given the available bandwidth and your normal LAN utilisation

• Desktop Management builds a detailed inventory of the desktop infrastructure, enabling the implementation of management in an active environment. It takes into account detailed hardware and software information, performance analysis, capacity planning, management and measurement of software license use, secure remote access and control, software distribution and automatic removal of software, patches and files.

• Server Management provides a full suite of software for managing server infrastructure. It allows complete inventory and diagnostic performance of the entire corporate computing environment, monitoring and analysing performance in real time, as well as providing capacity planning and server consolidation tools. Server Management includes modules for asset management, real time monitoring, monitoring notifications, license control, software distribution, secure remote access and control, and lifecycle management.

• Lifecycle Management is concerned with the management of technology infrastructure from its acquisition to the time of deactivation of IT assets. Among other things, it enables the registration of acquisition, maintenance contracts, locations, responsibilities, and it permits the monitoring of the full life cycle of IT assets. Each new asset acquired by your company can be added to this module and, once certified, it will be monitored by the system at different stages of its life cycle. You will receive detailed updates on possible technical problems and ongoing maintenance requirements.

• Mobile Device Management (MDM) provides comprehensive functionality for the corporate environment wishing to manage its Mobile Phone Assets, as outlines below. Support is currently available for all major mobile operating systems (Windows Mobile, iPhone - iOS 4, Blackberry, Symbian and Android):
   
  
  • Deploy managed configuration and provisioning profiles instantly to the device.
     
  • Gather critical network and device information, as well as application, certificate and profile lists without impacting the user.
     
    
  • Configure, secure and remove corporate email accounts and data remotely without impacting other email accounts.
     
    
  • Perform security commands to clear passcodes as well as lock or wipe the device directly from the console without going through Exchange.
     
    
  • Minimize legal and business risk by establishing and enforcing restrictions that filter movies, TV shows and application content.
     
  • Real-time alerting and reporting capabilities to monitor device restrictions and ensure compliance with corporate IT policies.
     
  • Improve the end user’s support experience with real-time management features.