Free book for Windows managers

Last fall, I told you about ScriptLogic and how its scripting tool could help simplify desktop and user management for Windows network managers (see editorial links below). I also promised that I would take a more in-depth look “in coming weeks”. Well, the weeks turned into months, but I thought now would be a good time to explore this useful management tool. So I jumped over ScriptLogic’s Web site only to find that the company has hooked up with another of my favorites, realtimepublishers.com, to produce a free electronic book called “The Definitive Guide to Windows Desktop Administration.”

Each book from realtimepublishers.com is sponsored by a vendor and this latest book on desktop administration is sponsored by a vendor whose product is a tool for, you guessed it, desktop administration.

You might think the book simply says “buy our product,” but it doesn’t. The author, Bob Kelly (not a ScriptLogic employee) has more than a dozen years’ of experience administering Windows desktops and is often in demand to speak at user groups and conferences on this topic. By using this free book, you could become more productive as a desktop administrator, without having to buy anything.

But to carry out the good practices that the book teaches you’ll have to spend the necessary time on each. That’s what ScriptLogic hopes you’ll realize – that by using its tool you can automate many of the tedious and repetitive tasks that are so necessary to desktop administration.

The chapter titles are:

1. Desktop Administration Overview.

2. OS Deployment.

3. User Profile and Data Management.

4. Application Management.

5. Desktop Security.

6. Desktop Support.

7. Scripting Custom Solutions.

8. Asset Management.

The book is designed to help readers (that’s you) learn how to do the following:

* Reduce helpdesk and administration costs and increase user productivity.

* Define and automate administration tasks using the latest tools and technologies.

* Manage security with Group Policy and desktop lockdown.

* Manage user profiles and map network resources.

This should be a welcome addition to your library of resources but don’t neglect the ScriptLogic product itself. There’s a 45-day fully functional evaluation version available, but to make best use of it (and really put it through its paces) read the book first and find out just how much you can do to control your network with desktop administration.