Symantec CMS (Cool-Magic-Spy) Client Management Suite 7.*
January 11, 2016
Symantec CMS (Cool-Magic-Spy) Client Management Suite 7.*
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Symantec Client Management Suite
We have implemented the Symantec Client Management Suite (CMS) to get control over all end user machines, desktops laptops and tablets. We collect hardware and operating system information to assist in asset management. We collect software inventory and metering for license harvesting. We detect and deploy patches and distribute software requested by users. We have customized the Symantec Client Management Suite to detect and reconfigure whatever configuration is required on machines.
- Inventory collection is quite accurate - and customizable as needed.
- Software delivery is quite powerful and offers several ways to deploy software to machines and users.
- Patch Management currently supports a fair list of vendors and products.
- Scaleability allows implementation in wide range of environments.
- CMS Reporting should have a form showing details of one asset (Computer HW+OS+SW) available for user's review.
- Pity that vendor dropped Wise Package Studio and integration with anothre SW packaging tool is absent.
- Remote Tool (Symantec pcAnywhere) has been dropped recently and CMS users have to look for tool from another vendor.
- There are far to many updates (SP, HF, PF) released, which is hard to deploy in large environment with strict change control.
- Reporting using IT Analytics is perfect to install and use from defaults, but ´very difficult to customize and extend.
- Status and perfortmance monitoring features in CMS and SMP are insufficient, other tools are required.
We were considering couple more products, but POC has proven that it is better to stay with CMS. (I cannot provide details, since that information is internal and confidential.)
Using Symantec Client Management Suite
100000 -
- Inventory collection for license tracking and harvesting and for HW+OS evidence
- Custom Inventory collection and script tasks to achieve required configuration of user machines
- Patching, Detecing gaps (admin accounts for instance) and Deployment of security tools (AV, Enclyption etc.)
- Deploying software on request and detecting desired compliance
- We have a group of Symantec administrators to maintain the platform and suite
- We also have group of operators to run patching and software delivery tasks
- Finally, we cooperate with DB team, Network team and couple more internal teams
- Inventory
- Security
- Software Management
- Flexible SW Delivery is keystone for many other technologies we are delivering to workstations
- Flexible and customizable inventory allows collecting any kind of information from workstations
- Control and monitoring features of pltfor allow promptly discover, analyze and fix operaional issues
- Implementing cloud enabled management to extend coverage to home users.
- Considering extension to servers as well.
- Plan for evaluating options to support also BYOD.