Net/Systems Management /

Interactive scorecard and NetResults: Desktop management suites

Network World Fusion, 04/09/01

Every network is unique. This calculator lets you change the weights given to scores from our review to see how these products might be best suited for your needs.

Here's how it works:
New scoring for reviews
As of Jan. 8, Network World has switched its scoring scale. We will now score products on a scale of 1 to 5, rather than 1 to 10. We feel that scoring on a 1 to 5 range would be more easily understood than previous methods. As it relates to school grades, the new scoring would establish 1=D, 2=C, 3=B, 4=A. A score of 5 would be the exceptional score - a scholastic equivalent would be scoring an A in an honors class.

For each category below, assign the percentage weight you think is most appropriate. The percent-o-meter box on the right will keep track of your weightings to let you know when you've reached 100%. When you fill in the last box, hit your enter key, and you'll see how the apps rate (along with our final score for comparison).

Percent-
o-meter

Category	Our weight	Your weight
Desktop config & ongoing mgmt. utilities	20%	%
Hardware & software inventory	15%	%
Software distrib. & app. healing	15%	%
Reporting	10%	%
License metering	10%	%
Remote control	10%	%
Client support	10%	%
Installation	5%	%
Documentation	5%	%

Results table

Below, you'll find the 1-5 score given to each app by our reviewers. To obtain the final score: Multiply each individual score by the weighting given that category, then add up all those resulting numbers.

LANDesk ZENworks Systems Mgmt. Server TS.Census

Desktop config. & ongoing mgmt. utilities 3 4 3.5 3

Hardware & software inventory 3.5 3.5 3 4.5

Software distrib. & application healing 4 4 3.5 3

Reporting 3 3 3 4.5

License metering 4 4 3.5 1

Remote control 3.5 3 3.5 3

Client support 4 3 3 2.5

Install-
ation 3.5 2.5 2.5 2.5

Document-
ation 3.5 2.5 3.5 3

Our total 3.53 3.48 3.28 3.10

YOUR TOTAL

LANUtil32 Cognet eXpress

Desktop config. & ongoing mgmt. utilities 3 3.5 3.5

Hardware & software inventory 3 3 3

Software distrib. & application healing 3 3 3

Reporting 3 3 3

License metering 2 1 1

Remote control 4 3 1

Client support 2.5 2.5 3

Install-
ation 3 2.5 4

Document-
ation 3 2 3

Our total 2.95 2.78 2.75

YOUR TOTAL

Scoring key:
5: Exceptional showing in this category. Defines the standard of excellence;
4: Very good showing. Although there may be room for improvement, this product was much better than average;
3: Average showing in this category. Product was neither especially good nor exceptionally bad;
2: Below average. Lacked some features or lower configormance than other products, or than was expected;
1: Considerably subpar, or lacking features being reviewed.

NetResults

Blue Ribbon winner LANDesk Management Suite 6.4
RATING: 3.53
COMPANY: Intel
COST: $50 per node for the basic LANDesk client, $30 per additional client for targeted multicasting.
PROS: Well-rounded product; best client support; strong Web-based management console.
CONS: Some of the user-interface features are confusing.

ZENworks 3.0
RATING: 3.48
COMPANY: Novell
COST: $59 per client.
PROS: Well-rounded suite of utilities; unique policy management and application healing capabilities.
CONS: No Web-based management; tied to the Novell client.

TS.Census 1.2 and TS.Ready 4.0
RATING: 3.10
COMPANY: Tally Systems
COST: TS.Census: $21 per client. TS.Ready: $110 per client.
PROS: Very strong inventory and reporting features.
CONS: Multiple clients required for the two products; no software metering.

Systems Management Server 2.0, Service Pack 3
RATING: 3.28
COMPANY: Microsoft
COST: $1,779 for server and 25 client-access licenses.
PROS: Easy user interface; robust architecture for large installations; integration with Microsoft operating systems.
CONS: Microsoft-centric; software inventory limited; requires SQL Server in addition to basic product.

LANUtil32 Suite 5.02 and PCDuo 6.0
RATING: 2.95
COMPANY: Vector Networks
COST: LANUtil32: $52 per client. PC-Duo: $34 per client.
PROS: Easy to install; clean user interface.
CONS: Inaccurate hardware inventory in some cases; multiple clients required to support all features.

Cognet 3.5 and myITware 4.0
RATING: 2.78
COMPANY: Cognet
COST: $75 per seat for Cognet 3.5 ($12,500 for the server); $40 per seat for myITware.
PROS: Nice macro language for software distribution with predefined functions; software-profiling capability is unique.
CONS: No software metering; multiple clients required; poor integration between the two products.

EXpress 5
RATING: 2.75
COMPANY: Altiris
OST: $37 per client.
PROS: Does the job of deploying new desktops and restoring a copy of a disk image really well.
CONS: No software metering.

Related links

Back to the main review article