Cisco on Thursday announced it had partnered with management software maker Avocent to load its technology onto Cisco AXP blades and better manage servers, PC and branch offices.

Avocent will load its MergePoint software and Patch Manager, technology acquired with LANDesk, on a new Cisco Application eXtension Platform (AXP) card that resides as a blade in Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR). The AXP blade will enable IT managers to access servers and PCs at remote locations from on-site, another office or while working from home. The blade also will enable corporate security and regulatory-compliance policies to be carried out on every server, regardless of location, Avocent says.

"What we have learned from site visits with customers is that branch and remote locations are often forgotten in compliance efforts," says Rich Williams, director of alliances within the LANDesk division of Avocent. "Cisco AXP will help IT better manage, control and secure servers at branch sites and enable consistent management of those servers through a single routing device."

With the AXP blade loaded onto routers in main and branch offices, IT managers will be able to tap Avocent's MergePoint software.The application enables IT administrators to access service processors embedded in servers that enable remote access to power control, sensor readings and other functions. Patch Manager software would also be put to use automatically discovering an inventory of all servers, laptops and desktop PCs, or Macintoshes attached to the WAN. The application would then scan the devices for security threats, launching patches when needed.

"IT managers will no longer have to allocate a separate device or piece of equipment out to every site. The software residing in the ISR provides all the server and PC access they would need at the branch," Williams says.

Cisco AXP will be in pilots for the next several months and rolled out to targeted customers.