ANSA allows an IT Professional to deploy application patches, software upgrades, service packs, or any other type of custom or packaged software that a system administrator can create as an executable; whether it is a script, a BAT file, or an application package. The software can be packaged and sent to all agents on a network in the same way the operating system patches are deployed by the ANSA Patch Manager. In fact, by creating a file on the ANSA controller machine, the file can be made available to ANSA to be deployed either automatically, or scheduled to be deployed in the same manner as described for patch management. This applies to not only patches, but programs and scripts as well. For instance, a system administrator could schedule a custom package deployment which would restart all machines on a network at a specific date and time, or create a desktop icon which would launch a process at log on for every computer on the network.

The same benefits ANSA applies to patch management also apply to software distribution. Many organizations today still rely on the manual approach, or have created custom scripts for software deployment. By automating these tasks, ANSA creates an immediate return on investment. Most organizations also have separate tools for performing patch management and software distribution. By combining tools, these organizations will realize advantages in both cost and usability.

With the ability to group computers at the machine name level and at the IP level, ANSA provides the System Administrator with the tools to manage the entire network from a single point of access. Immediate benefits include flexibility to manage software distribution, ease of use, and scalability, along with the ability to configure, install, and manage remote machines from a central location.

Please keep in mind that Autonomic Software’s intelligent agent solutions work exactly the same way in both physical and virtual environments.