Supporting Your End-Users with Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007

Dustin JonesSr. Program ManagerDavid MillsSr. Product ManagerMicrosoft CorporationSession Code: MGT318

Session Objectives and Takeaways

Understand why Microsoft built Essentials 2007 for IT management of midsize businesses Learn IT management capabilities of Essentials 2007 for managing mission-critical business applications and infrastructureDetailed walkthroughs using Essentials 2007 to manage critical end-user IT resources

“Keeping OS and applications updated with the latest patches is time-consuming.”

“E-mail is critical for my company, server downtime is bad for business.”

“Software installation for desktops should be quick and easy – it’s not!”

“End-user troubleshooting is manual for us –telephone, e-mail, and remote desktop in Windows XP.”

“Our hardware and software inventory is in spreadsheets. It’s hard to pull it all together.”

Mid-Market IT Challenges

System Center Essentials 2007Unified solution for midsize businesses (50–500 PCs, up to 30 servers)

A unified solution with a single console for managing your servers, clients, hardware, software, and IT services

Simple execution of complex management tasks like troubleshooting end-user issues, monitoring, and server and client software deployment

Monitoring, troubleshooting, and asset tracking to keep your IT environment secure and up-to-date

Home Users

Do It Yourselfer (DIY)* IT Specialist

System Center Family of Products

25 50 250 50010

Small Business Mid MarketLower Midmarket Core Midmarket Upper Midmarket

Enterprise

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IT Generalist

Manages server as secondary responsibility

Manages server as primary but shared responsibility

1-2 full time IT Generalists

5-10 full time IT Generalists with some area of focus

Specialists per workload

100

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Syst

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Workgroup Edition

Integrated management designed for medium-sized companies with up to 30 servers and 500 clients

Simple setupUnified management experienceComprehensive monitoringUpdate managementSoftware and hardware inventoryIntegrated reportingSoftware deploymentRemote management support

A “Day in the Life” with System Center Essentials

David MillsSr. Product ManagerSystem Center Essentials

demo

What’s New in SP1?

Support forManaging workgroup-joined computersMonitoring SNMPv1 network devicesMultiple auto-approval rules in Update ManagementA remote SQL Server 2005 instance on a computer with a different architecture (x86 or x64) than Essentials 2007 Management ServerRunning Essentials 2007 on Windows Server 2008Management packs for Windows Server 2008

ImprovedBackup and disaster recovery guidanceManagement pack qualityPerformance, usability, and supportability

Managing Mission-Critical Resources

Exchange Server/E-mailMonitoring Exchange Server health and performance (preventing mail downtime)Client e-mail access and performance (Microsoft Office Outlook, Outlook Web Access [OWA], ActiveSync)

Microsoft Office systemTimely and accurate software deploymentMonitor and troubleshoot applications

SQL ServerPreventing line-of-business (LOB) application outagesManaging database space and performance

Windows Client (Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP, Windows Vista)End-user needs help solving problemClient monitoring

Unified Exchange ManagementKey features

MonitoringAvailability, configuration, and performanceCore back-end MAPI synthetic logon Front-end synthetic logon transactions (OWA, OMA, EAS) Self-tuning thresholdsMultiple views on health and performanceExpert knowledgeDiagnostic tasksIntegrated SNMP network device monitoring

Update ManagementAutomated policy configuration“Update now” functionalityUpdate statusIntegrated reporting

Inventory60+ data points for hardware and softwareAvailable “in context” for troubleshootingIntegrated reporting

ReportingAvailability reports per componentIntegrated performance reportsConfiguration change reporting

Full Monitoring for Exchange Server Proactive end-to-end service monitoringSmart defaults to cut the “noise” of alertsExpert Exchange knowledgeIn-line tasks to click and remotely fix issuesAutomated routinemanagement tasksSelf-tuning thresholds

Unified Messaging ViewExchange Messaging components in a single viewView Exchange application and related managed objects like storage, Active Directory, etc.Networking and client viewsHealth status of related component rolled into Exchange Messaging viewEasily identify problems,understand impact to Messaging Service, and quickly drill down to diagnose and troubleshoot

Exchange ReportsHealth Modeling enables Availability Reports from Exchange sites to individual servers, down to components on each serverConfiguration Change Reports which track key configuration changes on each Exchange serverOverlay Reports: Visualize changes in configuration on a timeline

Monitoring from End-User Perspective

Distributed application monitoring (Outlook Send/Receive)Alerts, logon latency, performance

Outlook Mobile AccessOutlook Web AccessActiveSync

Monitoring critical path

Managing E-mailDustin JonesSr. Program ManagerSystem Center Essentials

demo

Unified Office ManagementKey features: Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2007

MonitoringAlerts “tuned’ for mid-sized businessesExpert knowledge to diagnose and fix issuesDiagnostics tasksCrash and hang managementResource utilization managementResponsiveness managementOutlook mail availabilityData source (database) availabilityFile server and file availabilityUpdate (Patch) ManagementAutomated policy configuration“Update now” functionalityUpdate statusIntegrated reporting

Software DistributionDeploy MSI and EXE applicationsDeploy Office 2007

Inventory60+ data points for hardware and softwareAvailable “in context” for troubleshootingIntegrated reporting

ReportingGlobal reports (Top Alerts, Availability, etc.)Hardware (check machines forOffice install)

Comprehensive Office MonitoringGlobal aggregate and critical monitoring for issues with

Availability and reliabilityPerformanceHardware and configuration

Visualize Office health withViews Reports

Respond to Office issuesFaster problem resolution using Windows and Office knowledgeKnowledge-embedded in-line tasks and viewsContext sensitive tasks Automated recoveries and diagnostics

Focus on End-User ProductivityPlatform and version coverage

Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP, and Windows Vista; Office XP, Office 2003, Office 2007 alerts provided for Outlook client

Designed for global aggregate and critical monitoringAre my applications crashing or hanging?Are my applications consuming too many resources?Are my applications responsive for end users?

Applications specific aggregate and critical monitoringAre Office Outlook clients able to send/receive mail?Is Windows Internet Explorer able to access sites?Is Windows Client Desktop able to access data sources?Is Windows Client Desktop able to access shares and files?

Managing OfficeDustin JonesSr. Program ManagerSystem Center Essentials

demo

Unified SQL Server 2005 ManagementKey features

MonitoringAlerts “tuned’ formidsized businessesMonitor with expert knowledge to diagnose and fix issuesDiagnostics tasksSelf-tuning thresholdsAvailability reportsper componentIntegrated performance reportsConfiguration change reportingTopology viewHealth and performance dashboard views

Reporting10 SQL Server-specific reports in addition to more general Windows reports

Update (Patch) ManagementAutomated policy configuration“Update now” functionalityUpdate status

Inventory60+ data points for hardware and softwareAvailable “in context” for troubleshootingIntegrated reporting

Full SQL Server MonitoringComplete application model of SQL elements including

Smart defaultsInstances, databases, file groups, files, agent jobs, SQL roles (e.g., replication)Clustering, log shipping, backup, SQL server agent

Three core types of monitoringAvailability, performance, configuration

Unified SQL Server View

End-to-end visibility into mission-critical applicationsFaster problem resolution using SQL Server knowledgeAutomate routinemanagement tasksConsolidated view of distributed servers and applications

Comprehensive ReportingIn-context reports available in Actions pane of the management spacesFifty pre-configured reports available via the Reporting node of the System Center Essentials consoleTen SQL Server-specific reports available for things like: Database space, performance, lock analysis, counters, and many others

Remote SQL Server Task Support

Monitoring alert information includes “in-line” tasks to “fix it now”Generic computer tasks include view of computer along with other attributes and “in-context” tasksSQL Server-specific tasks in the Actions pane give quick access to the most used features

Managing SQL ServerDustin JonesSr. Program ManagerSystem Center Essentials

demo

Unified Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 Professional Support

MonitoringAvailability and reliability, performance, and configurationIntegrated health view and reportsExpert knowledgeInline tasks and viewsRemote tasksAutomated recoveries and diagnosticsRemote hardware management with Intel management pack

Update ManagementAutomated Policy Configuration“Update now” functionalityUpdate statusMicrosoft, third-party, and custom updatesIntegrated reporting

Software DeploymentEXE and MSI software deploymentDeployment status

Inventory60+ data points for hardware and softwareAvailable “in context” for troubleshootingIntegrated reporting

ReportsGlobal reports (Top Alerts, Availability, etc.)Desktop Monitoring dashboardDesktop Memory reportsDesktop Storage reportsDesktop Performance reportsDesktop Purchasing reports

Comprehensive Client MonitoringProactive alerts and reporting for critical issuesAlerts and centralized error collection for crash and hang data (Agentless Exception Monitoring)Complete monitoring of the Windows Vista infrastructure, including the host OS and critical servicesExpert knowledge to diagnose and troubleshootIn-line tasks to click and remotely fix issues

Automated UpdatesAutomated policy configurationSupports Microsoft, third-party and custom updates“Update now” functionalityMonitoring and reporting of update statusAutomated daily health reportIntegrated reporting for compliance

303030

Hardware and Software Inventory60+ hardware and software attributes are gathered about SCE-managed machinesSoftware inventory gathered via registry inspection, matching those listed via the “Add/Remove” control panel appletHardware inventory gathered via WMI provider: Hard disk and memory usage, network card, etc.

Remote TroubleshootingGet detailed information on a user’s PC configurationPerform remote tasks right from the console: Ping, list processes, IPConfig, etc.Remote access to client computer to troubleshoot from SCE management console

Remote Troubleshooting ClientDustin JonesSr. Program ManagerSystem Center Essentials

demo

SummaryCall to action

Essentials 2007 SP1 is ready to simplify IT management, reduce costs, and support your business’s objectives and your end-usersDownload Essentials 2007 SP1 today (Eval Edition or VHD). Test it, see the value, then upgrade using a product key

question & answer

www.microsoft.com/teched

Sessions On-Demand & Community

http://microsoft.com/technet

Resources for IT Professionals

http://microsoft.com/msdn

Resources for Developers

www.microsoft.com/learningMicrosoft Certification and Training Resources

www.microsoft.com/learning

Microsoft Certification & Training Resources

Resources

Related Content

MGT206 What's Next for Microsoft System Center Essentials

MGT11-HOL Introduction to Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007

Resources

All information about System Center Essentials is available at www.microsoft.com/sce

Self-help Resources http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sce/selfhelp.mspx

Team Blog http://blogs.technet.com/systemcenteressentials

Management Track ResourcesKey Microsoft Sites

System Center on Microsoft.com: http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenterSystem Center on TechNet: http://technet.microsoft.com/systemcenter/Virtualization on Microsoft.com: http://www.microsoft.com/virtualization

Community ResourcesSystem Center Team Blog: http://blogs.technet.com/systemcenterSystem Center Central: http://www.systemcentercentral.comSystem Center Community: http://www.myITforum.com System Center on TechNet Edge: http://edge.technet.com/systemcenterSystem Center on Twitter: http://twitter.com/system_centerVirtualization Feed: http://www.virtualizationfeed.com System Center Influencers Program: Content, connections, and resources for influencers in the System Center Community. For information, contact scnetsup@microsoft.com

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© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS,

IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.