The newest version of Marimba Inc.'s Server Change Management software will give administrators the ability to manage multiple operating systems running on servers throughout their organizations, the company said Thursday.
The new version, which will be the third generation of the Server Change Management product family, will be compatible with Linux, Windows 2000 and all Unix operating systems, said Kia Behnia, chief technology officer at Marimba, in Mountain View, California. Marimba plans to announce it during the Gartner IT Expo, which begins Oct. 8 in Orlando.
Marimba's new Server Change Management offerings are designed to help companies minimize server downtime and address the challenges associated with updating and provisioning servers across Windows, Unix and Linux environments, Behnia said.
Other new capabilities in the upcoming version will help companies accomplish repetitive tasks, such as patch deployment, by automating them, and it will make it easier to perform server inventories to help companies identify obsolete servers, redeploy applications to newer servers and manage server consolidation projects.
"With all the security updates coming out, when you have thousand or hundreds of servers it's very difficult to keep up with all the patch deployment," Behnia said.
Companies, especially ones with a large Internet presence, are increasingly depending on servers to run their businesses, so it's becoming more important to keep servers maintained and to minimize downtime and maintenance time, said Audrey Rasmussen, vice president of Enterprise Management Associates Inc., in Boulder, Colorado.
"Because you've got such a huge variety of operating systems that servers run on, that's why this is a critical announcement in this arena," Rasmussen said.
Marimba also formally will announce a new alliance with Citrix Systems Inc. at the Gartner IT Expo, Behnia said. Citrix's software allows software applications running on servers to be accessed by users on workstations.
Server Change Management's new capabilities include a new terminal services adaptor that eases installation and configuration in Citrix and Microsoft Windows Terminal Services environments. In addition, the new version will support Microsoft Corp.'s .Net Server 2003 operating system when it comes out later this year, and will include advanced Microsoft System Installer capabilities.
The significance of Marimba's new relationship with Citrix is that it will help manage Citrix applications and participate in joint sales with Citrix, Rasmussen said. Citrix is widely used by most of the largest U.S. companies, so Marimba will gain visibility and a chance to manage more servers running Citrix applications, she said. The new alliance provides Marimba with premier membership status in the Citrix Business Alliance.
Pricing for Marimba's Server Change Management product family begins at US$30,000 and varies based on the number of end points and network configuration, Marimba spokesman Kurt Mumma said.