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Managing By Remote Control
April 1, 2008
The “sneakernet” approach to managing thousands of desktop and mobile computers by sending information technology staff scurrying about the organization is clearly outmoded.
That’s why many larger hospitals as well as integrated delivery systems are turning to systems management software that enables network managers to update devices by what amounts to remote control.
For example, network administrators at Gwinnett Hospital System last fall dealt with the challenge of patching thousands of computers so they’d recognize the later effective date for the end to daylight-saving time. The Lawrenceville, Ga.-based delivery system, which includes three hospitals and several clinics in the greater Atlanta area, used systems management software from LANdesk, South Jordan, Utah, to apply a Microsoft patch to 2,300 computers. LANdesk is a unit of Avocent, Huntsville, Ala. The patch was automatically implemented on all the computers overnight, explains W. Keith Brown, network administrator.
Quick Payoff
Brown estimates the systems management application paid for itself in benefits within the first eight months because it greatly reduced the cost involved in installing and monitoring software, applying patches and tackling viruses.
“Before we installed the application, we couldn’t even tell how many computers were running a certain version of an operating system or who last logged onto a workstation without visiting it and manually checking,” Brown explains.
The new generation of systems management software includes the capability of managing data security, notes Robert Stutts, chief technology officer for Quammen Group, an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm.
But installing such an application won’t solve an organization’s problems unless it’s a component in a broader “change control” process, he adds. For example, it’s essential that hospitals carefully alert end-users about the timing of remote updates on operating systems to guard against interrupting their use of computers while treating patients, he says.
In addition to facilitating remote patching applications, the systems management software enables Gwinnett’s I.T. staff to install or remove software remotely, rather than carrying around CDs for installation.
Also, if a computer user calls to request help with a problem, the I.T. specialist can take control of the computer to remotely fix it, Brown explains.
Gwinnett now use the software to manage 2,500 nodes, including desktop computers, mobile devices and servers. Brown expects that number to grow to more than 3,000 once devices running the Linux operating system are added.
The delivery system recently standardized on desktop computers from Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, Calif. It uses the LANdesk software to capitalize on these and other devices that run Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel Corp.’s Core2 processors with vPro technology to accommodate remote manageability.
If a computer is infected with a virus, the systems management software can “sandbox” the device, cutting it off from the network until the virus is removed, Brown explains. The software also makes it easier for I.T. managers to apply anti-virus software on computers linked to the delivery system’s dedicated fiber-optic local area network, he adds.
LANdesk’s inventory management functions enable I.T. staff to easily determine all applications running on a particular device, including detection of programs not approved by the organization, Brown explains.
“Unless there is something physically broken on a machine, we may never even have to touch it to resolve problems,” he says. “So our I.T. staff needs less technical expertise. All they need to know is how to use this systems management tool.”
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