Clonezilla vs. Microsoft System Center vs. Symantec Ghost Solution Suite

CloneZilla has several scenarios where it can be used in business. Firstly the main purpose for us is for imaging of larger number of systems with varying specifications and operating systems in quick succession. However we have also used it for "point of time" imaging of systems for when employees have left the company or have a full metal backup made.

Incentivized

For companies with more than 10 Windows devices and needing to standardize the OS, AV, access, share resources, and install software. SCCM is the way to go. This software is unnecessary if the business is all remote users and not in an office-type setting. There are cloud offerings or none to accomplish what a business needs.

Incentivized

It helps to manage the mass of computers we use. We use GSS to see where and who deployed software to what computers. This can particularly be helpful when dealing with license usage, and tracking how many licenses we have left, and where those licenses have been used. We are able to use it to manage clients.

Incentivized

• The ability to quickly setup imaging servers to rapidly increase the number of systems imaged.
• Handling large numbers of device imaging off a single live server instance
• Ability to run the server side of things on low end hardware

Incentivized

• Allows the grouping of devices by user.
• Allows controlling updates being deployed to user devices.
• Allows for the repurposing of machines by being able to load new or updated software on machines that already are in the system.
• Allows us the ability to wipe a machine clean and restore it back to the configuration that was assigned the machine.

Incentivized

• Simple and easy to use interface
• Easily image multiple computers at the same time
• Deploys software

Incentivized

• The interface is not easy to navigate or understand by non technical staff
• Many many key presses before an actual image starts processing
• Does not feel "clean" - in that it feels very batch driven rather than having a more simpler way of managing the process end to end.

Incentivized

• Needs web based storefront for requesting new software
• Needs ability to manage the packaging work flow better
• Sometimes is slow to download and there is no indication the entire catalog is being loaded, resulting in confused users not being able to find common software in the available list.

Incentivized

• Setting up PXE has a learning curve.
• Still trying to figure out if we can create one golden (master) image for all hardware types.
• Would love a way to be able to refresh PCs with effecting user and program data.

It is not user-friendly for the most part. With IT infrastructure, sometimes it cannot handle excess requests. Every few months, you will need an upgrade in terms of server resources to keep up with incoming alerts and requests. This does not happen all of the time, but it does happen when there are too many requests.

Incentivized

If I had to dislike something about the system it would be how much it changes once you upgrade. This could be more of a problem of mine since I get used to one way and don't like it when it changes so much. I am enjoying the newest update, but it is a mess when you are actually going through the upgrades.

Incentivized

Whilst other imaging and deployment suites provide nicer interfaces which suit less technical staff, they do have quite significant price differences in comparison to CloneZilla. CloneZilla not only provides us a significant number of features, it provides a full imaging solution at a price which no one can compete with!

Incentivized

We previously used a mix of FOG and Clonezilla to image machines. The biggest issues with these products is that changing one piece of the image required you to rebuild the entire image itself. These pieces of software also did not allow you to manage applications and Windows Updates, causing IT to have to constantly touch machines after they were imaged and update or manage them with a much more hands on approach.

Incentivized

Once the research had been done, it seemed that Symantec Ghost Solution Suite was the best suited for our environment. The initial cost was fair and the return on investment was well worth what we had to pay up front. I would recommend Ghost Solution Suite to any larger company.

Incentivized

• CloneZilla provides us a very cheap solution for imaging of systems in our business
• It has allowed us to rapidly increase our ability to image more systems across multiple locations
• CloneZilla has allowed us to adapt and evolve our imaging environment to handle lots of different scenarios with little issues

Incentivized

• We have been able to automate our patch management, firmware and other security concerns.
• We have a standardized "image" ensuring our setup is consistent across the enterprise. This alone has saved us in time to support and time to understand how to use our desktops.

Incentivized

• Helps to manage remote computers
• Helps to manage software licenses
• Helps to track and manage usage

Incentivized