We labored through some pretty tricky installation and configuration drills to get a line on today's desktop management suites. In the end, the market share leader, Intel's LANDesk, took home our Blue Ribbon for its easy installation and wide range of features. We also tested products from Hewlett-Packard, Seagate Software and Tally Systems, and we previewed beta versions of two of the most anticipated new releases from Microsoft and Novell. You'll find the full test results for all six products in our review.
Our Issues and Trends story highlights which features to insist on, in key areas such as inventory, software distribution and license metering. We also look at new developments in the marketplace and efforts to standardize the collection of management data. For a comprehensive look at what's available today, see our Interactive Buyer's Guide It lists the features of nearly a dozen desktop management suites, and helps you find the solution that's best for your network (you can also download a spreadsheet with all the data if you want to play with them yourself). Finally, for even more information on desktop management, we've assembled a collection of links that includes everything from an earlier head-to-head review of Microsoft and Novell desktop managers to management specs.
