LANDesk this week is set to unveil upgrades for its systems management software suites that are designed to help customers secure remote access and manage servers when their networks are down.

LANDesk Security Suite 8.6 software includes a feature called Trusted Access that will let the software scan devices such as desktops and laptops requesting access to the network for viruses and patch status, for example. If the device doesn't meet all the required criteria, LANDesk software will block access. The software also can apply patches or upgrade the software on the device to meet compliance policies and then allow access without impacting the user attempting to log on, the company says.

Jeff Hance, systems engineer at Hughes Supply in Orlando, Fla., is testing the latest releases of the security suite, as well as LANDesk Management Suite 8.6. He says the network access control feature addresses an "ever-growing concern in our world." He is responsible for keeping more than 7,800 distributed and remote workstations up to date on Microsoft patches. He has used LANDesk software for the past three years to inventory machines for specific applications, push out security updates and connect to remote machines for troubleshooting.

"We have grown dramatically in the last few years, and we need a way to control the spread of viruses to vulnerable machines," he says. "And [we need] a way to push custom applications needed for business without having to install manually on all machines."

Like competitors Altiris, Computer Associates, Microsoft, Novell and Symantec, LANDesk addresses management across desktops, servers and security devices with its product suite. This week the company also added capabilities to its management suite that will help IT managers connect to remote machines, even if the network is down. LANDesk's Management Suite, which includes asset, inventory and configuration management applications, runs on Windows servers and clients, and consists of server software and distributed agents.

Version 8.6 includes a feature dubbed the Management Gateway, which lets IT managers connect to remote machines loaded with LANDesk agents via the Internet to perform out-of-band discovery and remotely fix systems even if they have completely shut down, the company says. The management suite and LANDesk Server Manager 8.6 have also been upgraded to work with Intel's Active Management Technology. LANDesk software is being embedded on Intel hardware and will enable management of devices in "complete lights-out scenarios," LANDesk says.