EXECUTIVE INSIGHTSMaximizing ManageabilityAcross the Scalable EnterpriseAs vice president of systems management software at <strong>Dell</strong>, RhondaHolt leads the development and integration of <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage infrastructure for <strong>Dell</strong>’s family of standards-based <strong>Power</strong>Edge servers. Here she shares her thoughts on the importance of integratedchange management in a dynamic business environment.Need a winning combination for systems management in thescalable enterprise? Look no further. Not only are eighthgeneration<strong>Power</strong>Edge servers <strong>Dell</strong>’s most manageable systems todate, but the latest release of <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage infrastructure—<strong>Dell</strong>OpenManage 4—is also an industry standards–based platform thathas been designed for enhanced efficiency in deploying, monitoring,and updating vital technology across the enterprise.In particular, the recently announced <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage changemanagement capability, which works in concert with Microsoft ®SystemsManagement Server (SMS) 2003 and Altiris Server Management Suite,for the first time enables highly automated patch management acrosshardware, operating systems, and applications—on the latest <strong>Dell</strong>servers as well as on several previous-generation <strong>Dell</strong> servers.How does <strong>Dell</strong>’s systems management infrastructurefacilitate change management?Change management refers to the manner in which an organizationplans for and deploys technology upgrades across the enterprise. Itsounds simple, but change management can be extremely tricky—particularly given the escalating rate of change brought about bymounting security concerns. Change management requires a thoroughawareness of all existing enterprise assets—from how they are beingutilized to where they are dispersed. It also requires consistent attentionto available IT resources so that transition processes can be asefficient as possible. Moreover, change management demands thatadministrators keep their eyes on enhanced technology, so they canseize new opportunities to improve return on IT investments.We know that administrators face serious limitations on time andresources. Managing thousands of cross-enterprise security and applicationsupdates is extremely challenging. By consolidating importantchange management tools, <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage 4 helps make technologytransitions simpler, so administrators can accomplish upgradesin less time and with less effort than was possible using previousversions of <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage. Ultimately, this reduced complexitycan lead to increased employee productivity, longer-term IT investmentreturn, and lower overall total cost of ownership. These arecompelling advantages for the scalable enterprise.What is the significance of the <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage–basedapproach to change management?<strong>Dell</strong>’s approach is innovative. While other vendors continue to investin and develop proprietary, hardware-only change managementapplications, <strong>Dell</strong> is again focusing on standardization. We knowstandards are the key to enabling more functional, more efficientchange management applications. And we know interoperability isessential to seriously easing the burden on IT administration.Toward that end, <strong>Dell</strong> recently co-announced with Microsoft’sSteve Ballmer the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for <strong>Dell</strong> Updates. This isa watershed event for our customers. 1 For the first time, this combinedsolution gives enterprises a single view of all <strong>Dell</strong> <strong>Power</strong>Edgeservers on the network and helps them easily locate update requirementsfor everything from the operating system to system softwareto applications. Moreover, <strong>Dell</strong> is the only hardware vendor to enablecomprehensive hardware patch management for its servers withFor more information, see the <strong>Dell</strong> news release at www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/pressoffice/en/2004/2004_11_15_par_000?c www1us aspx/corp/pressoffice/en/2004/2004 11 15 par 000?c=us&l=en&s=corpcorp.8POWER SOLUTIONS Reprinted from <strong>Dell</strong> <strong>Power</strong> <strong>Solutions</strong>, February 2005. Copyright © 2005 <strong>Dell</strong> Inc. All rights reserved. February 2005
EXECUTIVE INSIGHTSleading third-party enterprise management applications such asMicrosoft SMS and Altiris Server Management Suite.<strong>Dell</strong> Update Packages are the basic building block in all <strong>Dell</strong>update solutions, allowing administrators to deliver hardware updateswith a single mouse click. In addition, these intuitive, self-extractingfiles let administrators concurrently apply updates across many systemsfor the operating system, applications, and components suchas BIOS, firmware, and drivers. <strong>Dell</strong> Update Packages can be scriptedfor unattended installation—which unchains administrators from thechore of babysitting dialog boxes, freeing them to tackle businesscriticaltasks. This unified, integrated approach is designed to savetremendous amounts of time, effort, and expense. This architectureallows you to integrate <strong>Dell</strong> updates into your existing software distributionprocess. You can also look for <strong>Dell</strong> to offer similar integrationwith other leading management solutions in the near future.Other important change management capabilities within <strong>Dell</strong>OpenManage 4 infrastructure include two e-mail notification services,File Watch and Knowledge Watch. These services help administratorsconveniently track available updates for <strong>Dell</strong> products. File Watchsends information on all newly posted product downloads, whileKnowledge Watch sends notifications only for critical product alerts.How do industry standards contribute to <strong>Dell</strong>’s managementinfrastructure and the overall manageability of <strong>Dell</strong> servers?Industry standards are the mainstay of the scalable enterprise. Theyprovide a common language that enables communication betweensystem components regardless of vendor. In the case of systemsmanagement, this common language helps administrators managemany system tasks in a single operation. In other words, standardscan enhance productivity, streamline systems management, andmaximize IT resource efficiency.<strong>Dell</strong> has been committed to standards-based technology formany years, and this has been a driving force in the developmentof our scalable enterprise strategy. In fact, our most recentserver launch has centered strongly on standards-based platformcommonality. <strong>Dell</strong>’s powerful eighth-generation servers feature acommon system image, common platform elements, and standardIntelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)–accessiblebaseboard management controllers. In addition, these serverscan be equipped with the standards-based <strong>Dell</strong> Remote AccessController 4 (DRAC 4), which is designed to provide operatingsystem–independent operation for uninterrupted manageability ofremote <strong>Dell</strong> servers. <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage 4 infrastructure is designedto provide the critical framework that enables organizations toleverage these platform commonalities to dramatically improvesystems management capabilities.The release of <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage 4 infrastructure accentuates ourcommitment to leading and supporting such critical standards as theCommon Information Model (CIM) and the Systems ManagementArchitecture for Server Hardware (SMASH) specification from theDistributed Management Task Force (DMTF), Desktop ManagementInterface (DMI), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP),and Wired for Management (WfM).And <strong>Dell</strong>’s dedication to standards-based systems managementdoes not stop with our servers. <strong>Dell</strong>/EMC storage area network(SAN) solutions offer a centralized, standardized management consolethrough EMC ®VisualSAN®Standard Edition software, which isdesigned to be integrated with <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage Server Administratorfor maximum productivity. Plus, our line of <strong>Dell</strong> <strong>Power</strong>Connect network switches can be managed through the <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManageNetwork Manager or a standard command-line interface.Does <strong>Dell</strong> offer other integrated management solutions?Certainly. Besides enabling the distribution of <strong>Dell</strong> Update Packagesthrough a number of leading software solutions, <strong>Dell</strong> facilitatesinteroperability across other critical areas of systems management.For example, <strong>Dell</strong> eases deployment challenges with an enablingtechnology called the <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage Deployment Toolkit. Used inconjunction with solutions such as Microsoft Automated DeploymentServices and Altiris Deployment Solution, the <strong>Dell</strong> DeploymentToolkit helps leverage automated, standardized methodologiesto enable accelerated group deployments of <strong>Power</strong>Edge servers.<strong>Dell</strong> also offers a holistic monitoring approach for the <strong>Power</strong>Edgeserver family that integrates our hardware management solution,<strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage Server Administrator, with industry-leading managementsolutions such as Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM),Computer Associates Unicenter, and BMC PATROL.Additionally, with <strong>Dell</strong> OpenManage 4 infrastructure, we offerintegration with Microsoft Active Directory ®advanced network servicesto strengthen remote access and management security for awealth of <strong>Dell</strong> enterprise assets, including <strong>Dell</strong> <strong>Power</strong>Edge servers;<strong>Dell</strong> OptiPlex , <strong>Dell</strong> Latitude, and <strong>Dell</strong> Precisionclient systems; <strong>Dell</strong><strong>Power</strong>Vault storage systems; and <strong>Dell</strong> <strong>Power</strong>Connect switches. Inparticular, the DRAC 4 card can help leverage this integrated managementsolution by enabling secure remote access to servers outsidethe physical grasp of administrative IT staff virtually anywhere,virtually anytime. And the DRAC 4 is designed to provide complete,one-touch management—without requiring specific operatingsystem services or drivers.How does <strong>Dell</strong> envision the future of systems management?We plan to continue to add value by strongly driving standardizationin the area of systems management—an area where we feel ourcustomers should accept nothing less. And look for ever more functional,ever more manageable products. For example, the recentlyreleased <strong>Dell</strong> <strong>Power</strong>Edge 1855 blade server demonstrates a uniqueunderstanding of the needs of the scalable enterprise—enablingorganizations to significantly increase density, improve price/performance, and lower power consumption compared to traditional<strong>Dell</strong> 1U servers.www.dell.com/powersolutions Reprinted from <strong>Dell</strong> <strong>Power</strong> <strong>Solutions</strong>, February 2005. Copyright © 2005 <strong>Dell</strong> Inc. All rights reserved. POWER SOLUTIONS 9
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