Best practices-in-lifecycle-management-white-paper-15663

IT & DATA MANAGEMENT RESEARCH,
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS & CONSULTING
Best Practices in
Lifecycle Management
Comparing Suites from
Dell, LANDESK, Microsoft, and Symantec
An ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES® (EMA™) Position Paper
Prepared for Dell
Revised: February 2015

Table of Contents
©2015 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | www.enterprisemanagement.com
Best Practices in Lifecycle Management:
Comparing Suites from Dell, LANDESK, Microsoft, and Symantec
Executive Summary........................................................................................................................... 1
Best Practices in Lifecycle Management............................................................................................. 1
Evaluating the Lifecycle Management Marketplace........................................................................... 2
Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 2
Heterogeneous Support................................................................................................................ 3
On-Premise versus Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Solutions........................................................... 4
A Note on Enterprise Mobile Management................................................................................. 4
Evaluation Key:............................................................................................................................ 4
Functional Comparison..................................................................................................................... 5
Asset Discovery and Management................................................................................................ 5
Provisioning................................................................................................................................. 7
Security & Patch Management..................................................................................................... 8
Third-Party Patch Management................................................................................................. 10
Configuration Compliance and Remediation............................................................................ 11
Process Automation and Service Desk........................................................................................ 12
Interfaces and Reporting............................................................................................................ 13
Financial Comparison...................................................................................................................... 14
Pricing Models........................................................................................................................... 14
Infrastructure Cost Comparison................................................................................................. 15
Total Implementation Costs....................................................................................................... 15
Very Small Support Stack................................................................................................... 16
Small Support Stack........................................................................................................... 16
Medium Support Stack...................................................................................................... 16
Large Support Stack........................................................................................................... 16
Non-Computer Device Support................................................................................................. 17
Very Small Support Stack................................................................................................... 17
Small Support Stack........................................................................................................... 17
Medium Support Stack...................................................................................................... 17
Large Support Stack........................................................................................................... 17
Operational and Training Costs................................................................................................. 18
EMA Perspective.............................................................................................................................. 18
About Dell....................................................................................................................................... 19

©2015 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | www.enterprisemanagement.comPage 1
Executive Summary
IT system lifecycle management includes a broad array of essential and complex processes for ensuring
optimal reliability and performance of technology investments. Critical to enabling these management
disciplines are automated solutions that simplify and standardize administrative and reporting tasks.
However, choosing a lifecycle management suite that cost-effectively meets enterprise requirements
can often be a confusing process. To assist in the evaluation of automated lifecycle management
platforms, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) has conducted a side-by-side functional and
financial comparison of solution suites from four of the leading vendors in this market space: Dell,
LANDESK, Microsoft, and Symantec. Key best practices in lifecycle management are explained and
used as a framework for highlighting critical points of comparison, and a detailed financial evaluation
goes beyond license costs to help determine total cost of ownership of each platform.
The EMA analysis includes a comparison of over 45 features across seven key areas – Asset Discovery
& Management; System Provisioning; Software Distribution; Security and Patch Management;
Configuration, Compliance and Remediation; Process Automation and Service Desk; and Interfaces,
Reporting, and Alarming. The results of the review show that Dell KACE Appliances equal or exceed
the functionality of their competitors across most disciplines. Yet, when factoring in total infrastructure
expenses, the Dell KACE Appliances cost significantly less than their primary competitors. With such
a strong value proposition, EMA recommends businesses of any size considering solutions for lifecycle
management should include the Dell KACE Appliances in their product evaluations.
Best Practices in Lifecycle Management
Lifecycle management of IT resources (including desktops, laptops, and servers) involves a number
of key disciplines, aimed at achieving efficiency, productivity, and cost reduction within IT and
across the business. Key disciplines that EMA recommends when considering a solution for lifecycle
management include:
• Asset Management – Automatic discovery of hardware and software assets allows organizations to
accurately identify the types and locations of devices and software connected to the network. This
helps in cost accounting and feeds accurate planning for provisioning, security, compliance, and
more.
• Inventory Management – Keeping up-to-date inventory allows businesses to reuse existing systems
instead of buying new ones, reduce their hardware inventory software upgrades and license costs,
and avoid fines and other penalties by ensuring license compliance.
• Bare Metal Installation – Provisioning new software into a system that has no previously installed
operating system or boot agents reduces on-site visits and gets new users and systems up and
running faster. EMA research shows that lack of bare metal installation can double or triple the
time it takes to achieve user productivity.
• Software Distribution and Provisioning – Installing software from a central location allows new
employees to contribute faster, and ensures existing users can do their job by having the software
they need, when they need it. EMA research has found that centralized software management
halves the time it takes to provision new applications.
• Security and Patch Management – Detecting and protecting against security risks at the edge
of the network is critical to reducing enterprise IT risk. Centralized security management can
prevent potential vulnerabilities such as unauthorized software or configurations, as well as detect
and quarantine insecure systems out of the network. Ensuring endpoints are using the latest patch
editions is also important for maintaining optimal system and application performance.

• Configuration Compliance and Remediation – Centralized maintenance of software versions,
settings, and other configuration elements helps organization achieve compliance by detecting,
preventing, and removing unauthorized software, malware, pirate software, exposures, and other
malicious changes. EMA research shows that it also halves the amount of time it takes to deploy
patches, and reduces virus and spyware management (both detection and remediation) by an
average of 80%.
• Process Automation – Automating and connecting IT management processes saves time and
money. EMA research has shown, for example, that process automation can reduce software
deployment time on average by two-thirds, and halve the time taken for patch management.
• Service Desk – An integrated mechanism to report problems and service requests enables prompt
response to end users and reduces administrative roadblocks. An easy-to-use portal interface to
such a system reduces telephone calls, manual intervention, service desk staff costs, and errors,
allowing automation to add more value to the process.
• Reporting – Reporting on status and activity allows businesses to identify and avoid potential
problems, provides the ‘audit and control’ proof of compliance required for regulations such as
SOX, PCI, and HIPAA, as well as to enable best practices like ITIL and COBIT.
• Alerting and Messaging – It is important for administrators to detect and respond quickly to
problems in order to reduce exposure, cost, and downtime. EMA research shows that it takes
an hour, on average, before an administrator discovers a critical problem. Automated alerting
significantly reduces this delay and allows administrators to correct problems before end users and
customers are even aware an incident has occurred.
Evaluating the Lifecycle Management Marketplace
EMA conducted a comparison of features in the most critical lifecycle management disciplines. While
it is not a complete comparison, the following section identifies the availability of many of the essential
capabilities in four of the most popular lifecycle management solutions on the market today:
• Dell KACE K1000 Systems Management and K2000 Systems Deployment Appliances
• LANDESK Management Suite 9.6 SP1
• Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager (SCCM)
• Symantec Altiris Client Management Suite (CMS) 7.5 SP1
Methodology
EMA identified the feature sets included in each solution suite based on publically available sources and
then invited all four vendors to review and comment on the evaluation of their respective solutions.
Any input provided was incorporated into the analysis as long as it met the following criteria:
• All features needed to be included in the current release of the solution suite. Beta releases and
notes of future capabilities did not qualify for inclusion.
• All features needed to be recorded in publically available documentation to provide confirmation
of the capabilities and to ensure they are officially supported.
• The features needed to be self-contained within the current release of the solution suite. Features
available in a different product set from the same vendor or from a 3rd party vendor were not
considered applicable as including these would significantly and unfairly impact the cost analysis.

Due to space limitations, EMA did not attempt to evaluate how well each product performs each
capability, and organizations are strongly advised to perform their own comparison analysis on any
functionality deemed critical.
Heterogeneous Support
New to this report edition is the inclusion of independent charts identifying platform support for
different operating environments, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, UNIX, and Chromebook
platforms. While all solutions in this evaluation were initially developed to principally support
Windows endpoints, EMA’s evaluation indicated very clear points of contrast in the level of
heterogeneous support offered by the solutions. The inclusion of the additional charts is intended
to assist in highlighting these differences. However, readers are encouraged to weigh the value of this
additional information proportional to the amount of heterogeneity in their own environment. All
four solution sets support the latest and most commonly employed editions of Windows and Mac OS
X as well as a number of Linux and UNIX platforms. The chart below indicates supported platforms
for each management solution:
Dell LANDESK Microsoft Symantec
Windows
Windows XP    
Windows Vista    
Windows 7    
Windows 8    
Mac
Mac OSX 10.6    
Mac OSX 10.7    
Mac OSX 10.8    
Mac OSX 10.9    
Mac OSX 10.10    
Linux
CentOS    
Debian    
Fedora    
Oracle Enterprise Linux    
Red Hat    
SUSE    
Ubuntu    
UNIX
AIX    
FreeBSD    
HP-UX    
Solaris    

It should also be noted that while Symantec CMS natively provides limited support for Linux and
UNIX systems, its sister product, Symantec Server Management Suite, offers broader capabilities for
supporting these platforms but has not been reviewed in this evaluation.
On-Premise versus Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Solutions
While most lifecycle management solution suites were initially introduced as on-premise solutions (i.e.,
management platforms that physically reside and operate within an organization’s local area network),
many vendors have since introduced cloud-hosted solutions that are remotely accessed, maintained by
their respective vendors, and offered as a monthly or annual subscription. These SaaS-based management
platforms typically offer slightly diminished functionality from their on-premise cousins, but may be
more cost effective for some organizations since they require no upfront infrastructure purchases or
on-going maintenance costs.
In order to ensure EMA’s evaluation is as fair as possible to the vendors, only the on-premise solutions
have been reviewed, enabling a direct “apples to apples” comparison. However, for many businesses, a
SaaS solution may offer a superior bargain depending on organizational requirements, so it is advisable
to review both on-premise and SaaS solutions when evaluating platforms.
A Note on Enterprise Mobile Management
All four vendors in this evaluation have invested heavily into the development of capabilities for the
management of mobile devices (i.e., smartphones and tablets). Microsoft has incorporated some of
these capabilities into SCCM 2012 SP2, while LANDESK and Symantec offer separate but integrated
mobile management platforms. Dell has also introduced some mobile management capabilities (such
as asset discovery and management) into the K1000 management appliances in addition to offering a
cloud-hosted Enterprise Mobility Management solution service. Because the number of management
processes necessary to support enterprise mobility would be too extensive to cover in this document,
EMA did not attempt to compare mobile management capabilities offered by the vendor solutions.
Instead, lifecycle management features and solution costs were principally limited to support for
laptops, desktops, and servers. Nonetheless, EMA recognizes that mobile device support has become
a critical part of enterprise IT management requirements and recommends organizations perform a
similar evaluation to the one presented below when evaluating mobile management solutions.
Evaluation Key:
=Yes =Partial =No

Functional Comparison
Asset Discovery and Management
Windows
Bare Metal Discovery    
OS Discovery (agent-based)    
Application Discovery (agent-based)    
Agentless OS & App Discovery    
Inventory Management (agent-based)    
Inventory Management (agentless)    
License Management    
License Enforcement    
License Reclamation    
Software Usage Metering    
Integrated Software Catalog    
Asset management for Windows devices is considered a core competency for all the evaluated solutions,
so it is not surprising that they all score very well in providing these base capabilities. All evaluated
solutions are able to automatically discover devices even if they do not have an operating system installed
(by serial number, MAC address, etc.), and all the solutions are broadly able to detect operating systems
and applications on Windows devices. While LANDESK, Microsoft and Symantec all require the
installation of an agent to perform OS and application discovery tasks, the Dell KACE appliances can
accomplish this with or without an installed agent. Once assets are discovered, inventory information
and tracking can be perform by all four solutions with the use of an installed agent; although Dell and
LANDESK can also perform these tasks agentlessly, and Dell can collect additional information from
Dell systems, such as warranty information.
All four solutions also manage software licenses and can meter and report on software usage. Dell,
LANDESK, and Symantec are able to enforce the use of licenses and can reclaim unused licenses so
they can be reprovisioned where they will be more optimally used, reducing enterprise costs. Dell and
LANDESK also maintain software catalogs from which known application and version characteristics
can be associated with discovered applications for license reconciliation and management. At the time
of this evaluation, the Dell software catalog included 52,468 entries and was updated daily, while the
LANDESK software catalog included 2,800 entries and was updated quarterly.

Mac OS X
Bare Metal Discovery    
OS Discovery    
Application Discovery    
Inventory Management (agentless)    
License Management    
License Enforcement    
License Reclamation    
Software Usage Metering    
As Mac OS X device adoption continues to grow in the enterprise market, IT management vendors
have systematically increased support for the platform. Notably, discovery and inventory management
capabilities on Mac OS X are very comparable to features supporting Windows platforms across all four
platforms. Both Microsoft and Symantec, however, do not yet provide support for license management
on Mac endpoints. Only Dell extends software usage metering capabilities to Macs.
Linux
Bare Metal Discovery    
OS Discovery    
Application Discovery    
Inventory Management (agentless)    
License Management    
License Enforcement    
License Reclamation    
For Linux platforms, Dell KACE is the only platform that provides license management capabilities.
Microsoft SCCM is only able to see Linux devices with an installed agent, so it is unable to perform
bare metal discovery.

UNIX
Bare Metal Discovery    
OS Discovery (agent-based)    
OS Discovery (agentless)    
Application Discovery (agent-based)    
Application Discovery (agentless)    
Inventory Management (agent-based)    
The Dell KACE platform performs management tasks on UNIX devices only through agentless
processes. Conversely, Microsoft SCCM is only able to perform discovery and inventory management
tasks via an installed agent. While Symantec Altiris CMS can discover UNIX devices (i.e., it identifies
an unrecognized IP address on the network), it is unable to natively identify any asset details from
these systems.
Chromebook
Bare Metal Discovery (agentless)    
OS Discovery (agentless)    
The Dell KACE K1000 Management Appliance is the only evaluated solution that offers management
capabilities specifically targeted at supporting Google Chromebooks. The LANDESK and Symantec
solutions will discover the Chromebooks on a network as an unknown IP address, but are unable to
identify the operating system or any other inventory details.
Provisioning
Windows
Bare Metal Provisioning    
Multicasting    
Integrated Driver Management    
Integrated User State Migration    
Virtual Machine Provisioning    
Automated Software Deployment    
Self-Service Software Portal    
All solutions can remotely provision Windows platforms onto bare metal and without a preinstalled
agent. Multicasting – the ability to provision multiple systems simultaneously – is also supported by
all four solution sets for Windows deployments. Virtual machines can natively be deployed by the
Dell KACE K2000 Deployment Appliance and Symantec Altiris. Microsoft SCCM can also provision
virtual machines when used in conjunction with Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager

(included in the purchase price). All but Symantec offer user state management capabilities for setting
and migrating user settings and configurations. All four solutions provide features for automatically
deploying software to Windows systems, and all provide a self-service software portal that allows end
users to select and provision Windows applications without needing to interact with IT administrators.
Mac OS X
Bare Metal Provisioning    
Multicasting    
Integrated Driver Management    
Integrated User State Migration    
Self-Service Software Portal    
Mac OS X provisioning can be performed by Dell KACE, LANDESK, and Symantec Altiris; however,
multicasting for Mac deployments is only supported by Dell and Symantec. LANDESK also supports
user state migration capabilities for Mac OS X updates. While all four solutions can deploy applications
to Mac endpoints, Microsoft does not provide a self-service portal for these platform users.
Linux
Bare Metal Provisioning    
Unix
Bare Metal Provisioning    
Automated Software Deployment    
LANDESK and Symantec can also deploy Linux and UNIX operating systems. While all four solutions
can deploy applications to Linux platforms, only Microsoft and Symantec extend software deployment
to UNIX devices.
Security & Patch Management
Windows
Patch Management    
Vulnerability Scanning with Automated Remediation    
Application Black Listing    
Application White Listing    
Updates for 3rd-party Malware Protection    
System patching is essential for ensuring security hardened operating environment, so it is no surprise
that all four solutions include automated processes for deploying patches on Windows platforms. Dell,
LANDESK, and Symantec perform vulnerability scans that can automatically remediate identified

problems. Although Microsoft does not natively include vulnerability scans, that capability is available
through integration with its System Center Endpoint Protection Manager platform. With application
black listing, the Dell, LANDESK, and Symantec platforms allows organizations to restrict access
to specifically identified Windows applications. LANDESK additionally includes white listing
capabilities allowing organization to limit user access to and use of only authorized applications. The
Dell KACE K1000 Management Appliance has the ability to natively update third party anti-virus/
malware protection software, including solutions offered by F-Secure, McAfee, Microsoft, Sophos,
Symantec, and Trend Micro. LANDesk, Microsoft, and Symantec require the additional purchase of
their respective security management platforms to update malware protection agents.
Mac OS X
Patch Management    
Vulnerability Scanning with Automated Remediation    
Application Black Listing    
Application White Listing    
Full Patch Management for Mac OS X is supported by Dell, LANDESK, and Symantec. While
Microsoft SCCM does have the ability to deploy non-Windows patches as a software update, the
solution does not directly download patches and patch meta-data from a Microsoft hosted environment,
requiring SCCM customers to also have service contracts with various OS vendors in order to receive
patches. Additionally, SCCM does not provide any patch compliance reporting capabilities for non-
Windows systems. EMA believes this limited support does not rise to the level of providing true Patch
Management and is more appropriately identified as “Software Distribution,” for which Microsoft has
been given full credit above.
All but Microsoft also extend vulnerability scanning and remediation capabilities to the MAC platforms.
Dell supports application black listing on Macs, and LANDESK supports both black and white listing
on Macs.
Linux
Patch Management    
Vulnerability Scanning with Automated Remediation    
UNIX
Patch Management    
Vulnerability Scanning with Automated Remediation    
LANDESK and Symantec extend patch support to Linux platforms, while LANDESK alone patches
UNIX clients. As noted above, Microsoft can deploy patches to non-Windows clients as a software
deployment, but this does not qualify as providing true Patch Management. Vulnerability scanning
on Linux devices is supported by LANDESK, and Symantec provides this feature for both Linux and
UNIX endpoints.

Third-Party Patch Management
In addition to the core operating system patching functionality, many management solutions also
support the direct patching of third-party applications. The advantage of this approach is that it greatly
reduces the impact of a broad number of patch deployments since the patch source is hosted locally
(rather than on a remote third-party vendor server) and can be managed with the same scheduling and
policies that govern system patch deployment. Although Microsoft SCCM does not natively support
patching of third-party packages, Microsoft can import third-party updates into System Center Updates
Publisher (sold separately) to perform this functionality.
The chart below lists a selection of 25 common third-party applications that can be patched by the
Dell, LANDESK, and Symantec management suites on Windows and Mac endpoints. EMA selected
this application list to provide an indication of the level of support provided by each platform, but it
is by no means a complete list. EMA strongly recommends organizations to investigate which of their
business-critical applications are supported by each vendor when evaluating solutions.
Windows Mac
Dell LANDESK Symantec Dell LANDESK Symantec
7-Zip      
Adobe Reader      
Adobe AIR      
Adobe Flash Player      
Apple Creativity Apps      
Apple QuickTime      
Apple Safari      
Cisco WebEx      
Citrix XenApp      
Citrix Receiver      
Foxit Reader      
Google Chrome      
Microsoft Exchange Servers      
Microsoft Internet Explorer      
Microsoft Office      
Microsoft Silverlight      
Microsoft Skype      
Microsoft SQL Server      
Mozilla Firefox      
Oracle Java      
RealVNC      
VMware Fusion      
VMware Player      
VMware Server & Workstation      
WinZip      

Configuration Compliance and Remediation
Windows
Policy-based Software Configuration Checking and
Enforcement    
Automated Configuration Remediation    
Password Enforcement (hard disk, power-on, screen-saver,
policy)    
Scanning and Quarantine of Non-compliant Systems    
Active Directory Integration    
LDAP Integration    
Remote Control    
Intel vPRO Integration (Reporting)    
Intel vPRO Integration (Management)    
Automated Power Management    
All reviewed solution sets are able to monitor and report on Windows endpoint configurations that do
not conform to established policies, and all solutions will automatically remediate any clients that fail
to meet configuration standards. Additionally, all four solutions provide password policy enforcement
capabilities for Windows clients. The LANDESK and Microsoft platforms can natively protect the
network by automatically quarantining systems that are out of compliance. Group and individual
policies and permissions can be imported through direct integration with Active Directory by all four
solutions, and all but Microsoft can also acquire this information through integration with LDAP. Tools
for remotely accessing Windows endpoints are also commonly offered by all the management platforms
as is direct integration with Intel vPro to enable “out of band” reporting. All but LANDESK can also
leverage vPRO to perform management tasks such as remote power control (power on/off, hibernate,
sleep, etc.), remote diagnostics and repair, and network filtering. Automated power management can
significantly reduce energy costs by powering down systems when they are not actively being used. All
the evaluated solutions extend this support to Windows clients.
Mac OS X
Enforcement    
Automated Configuration Remediation    
Password Enforcement (hard disk, power-on, screen-saver,
policy)    
Scanning and Quarantine of Non-compliant Systems    
Remote Control    
Automated Power Management    
Software Configuration checking and enforcement policies as well as automated configuration remediation
are also supported on Mac OS X platforms by all four evaluated solutions. Password enforcement is
supported on Macs by all but Microsoft. Scanning for non-compliant systems is only performed by
LANDESKwhiletheremotecontrolofMacsissupportedbyDell,LANDESK,andSymantec.Automated
power management of Macs can only be performed by the Dell and Symantec management platforms.

Linux
Enforcement    
Automated Configuration Remediation    
Linux platforms are supported by Dell and Microsoft for Configuration checking and enforcements,
and both Dell and LANDESK provide automated configuration remediation features. None of
the evaluated solutions natively provide configuration compliance and remediation capabilities for
UNIX platforms.
Process Automation and Service Desk
Includes Process Automation or Orchestration Capabilities    
Wizard-based Scripting    
Integrated Service Ticket Creation, and Tracking    
Workflow Connects Directly with Integrated Service Desk    
Self-Service User Portal    
Direct integration with Community Services    
All the reviewed solutions except Microsoft SCCM natively provide some process automation to make
routine tasks faster, easier, and more accurate. However, Microsoft extends this functionality through
integrations with the separately offered solution set, Microsoft System Center Orchestrator. Microsoft
SCCM is also the only platform that does not include wizards for assisting in the creation of custom
scripts. Dell KACE, LANDESK, and Symantec all include built-in end-to-end service desk automation
for ticket generation and problem tracking. Although not native to SCCM, Microsoft does offer this
functionality in the separate System Center Service Manager solution. Logically organized sets of
tasks called “workflows” are natively creatable and integrated with the vendor’s service desk with all
the solution sets but Microsoft SCCM. Again, Microsoft offers this functionality separately with the
adoption of third party integration with System Center Service Manager.
All four solutions provide an integrated software catalog and a portal that allows end users to initiate
software installations, maintenance activities and/or repair requests for their workstations. Only Dell
KACE includes a portal that directly integrates with a community service (ITNinja.com) to deliver
easy access to industry IT management recommendations, best practices and expertise. Microsoft and
Symantec, however, host a community service portal on their respective web-sites – they are just not
directly accessible from the management consoles.

Interfaces and Reporting
Web Browser-based Administration GUI    
Mobile Console Access    
Role-based Administration, with Pre-defined and User
Defined Roles    
Pre-Defines and Customizable Web-Based Reports    
Data Export for OEM Reporting    
Customizable reporting based on SNMP object data    
Log Monitoring    
System Performance Monitoring    
3rd
PartyApplication
Monitoring
Microsoft Exchange    
SQL Server    
Hyper-V    
Active Directory    
Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS)    
Dell KACE and LANDESK allow all of their solution’s functionality to be accessed via a web console.
Symantec offers a web interface that can perform the majority of essential reporting and management
functionality, but advanced features need to be accessed through a Windows-based console. The
Microsoft SCCM console is not fully web accessible and an interface needs to be manually installed
on clients in order to access reports and management features; however, a web-based “dashboard”
is provided to report on software deployments, system health, and compliance status. Dell KACE
uniquely offers a mobile application that is specifically designed to remotely perform console tasks from
smartphones and tablets. All solutions provide role-based access to customize user views based on their
job function and allow data to be exported for OEM Reporting.
The Dell and LANDESK management solutions can also create custom reports based on SNMP object
data. This is important because non-computing devices (i.e., printers, projectors, UPSs, etc.) rarely
store attribute and status information in accessible log files. In order to get actionable information from
and maintain connections to non-computing devices requires the ability to collect and record data by
connecting to an SNMP agent running on those resources.
Alarms and reports can be generated by all four solutions based on the state of system performance and/
or log entries. Key third-party server applications can also be directly monitored by Dell, Microsoft,
and Symantec. Microsoft’s management support for Active Directory is provided in the separately
available System Center Operations Manager.

Financial Comparison
Pricing Models
The chart below identifies license and maintenance costs models for the four evaluated solutions.
Pricing information is based on publically available information and manufacturer suggested retail
prices (MSRP), though it should be noted that vendors and their channel partners all offer discounts on
bulk orders that can substantially reduce the final cost of the solution suites. Check with the individual
vendors for an accurate price quote when evaluating solutions.
List Price Maintenance
Dell KACE
Management Appliance: two versions are available to
accommodate organizations of different sizes:
• K1100: $8,900 – includes licenses for 100 computing
devices and can support up to 1,000 devices.
• K1200: $38,900 – includes licenses for 1,000
endpoints and can support over 10,000 devices.
Additional endpoints for both appliances are $31 each.
Deployment Appliance: two versions are available to
accommodate organizations of different sizes:
• K2100: $4,500 – includes licenses for 100 endpoints
and can support up to 1,000 devices.
• K2200: $17,900– includes licenses for 1,000
endpoints and can support over 10,000 devices.
Additional endpoints for both appliances are $13 each.
Bundle Pricing: a 20% discount is applied when both a
Management Appliance and a Deployment Appliance are
purchased together.
Server Log Monitoring: $2,000 – includes licenses for
monitoring 200 servers
Asset Packs: $1,250 – includes licenses for inventory of
up to 250 Chromebooks and non-computing devices (e.g,
printers, projectors, switches, etc.)
17.5% purchase price annually
(for a 3 year contract)
LANDESK $56 per managed endpoint (MSRP); discounts available 22% purchase price annually
Microsoft SCCM
Configuration Manager Client MLs : $62 per managed
client endpoint (i.e., PC devices), including licenses for
both SCCM and System Center Virtual Machine Manager
Standard Server MLs: $1,323 per managed server for
every two physical processors and every two hosted (i.e.,
virtual) operating system environments
Datacenter Server MLs: $3,607 per managed server for
every two physical processors and an unlimited number of
operating system environment
All prices are MSRP and discounts are offered through
various channels
25% purchase price annually
Symantec Altiris CMS $95 per managed endpoint (MSRP); discounts available 25% purchase price annually

Infrastructure Cost Comparison
License purchases constitute only a portion of the total cost of ownership of a lifecycle management
solution. In particular, infrastructure costs should also be considered when evaluating solution suites.
The chart below indicates how the most significantly impacting infrastructure cost elements compare
across the product sets. As an appliance-based solution, the Dell KACE platform has the advantage
of self-containing the majority of infrastructure software and hardware components. Microsoft, by
contrast, requires separate servers installed at each logically segmented site, although they can collectively
all be controlled from a “Central Administrator Site” that this evaluation assumes functions on a single
physical server.
With the release of SCCM 2012, Microsoft included a Runtime Edition of its SQL database at
no additional cost. However, the Runtime Edition has a 4GB size limit that makes it impractical
when performing database replication (necessary for transferring site configurations and settings), so
Microsoft recommends the Standard Edition be employed for this purpose on central servers, but
secondary servers will operate well with just the Runtime Edition. In the charts below, it is assumed
that SCCM environments that are managed by multiple servers will require a Standard SQL license on
the central server.
Perhaps the most significant infrastructure cost factor for SCCM is with the need for Microsoft Client
Access Licenses (CALs) which can add up very quickly to extensive costs in large support stacks.
Standard CAL costs have been assumed in this evaluation, but organizations could potentially reduce
overall costs if they adopt Enterprise or Core CALs that include licenses for a number of Microsoft
products, including SCCM.
Dell KACE LANDESK
Microsoft
SCCM
Symantec
Altiris
Server(s)/Console(s):
Cost estimated at $2,000 per server to meet common
requirements
N/A $2,000 $2,000 $2,000
Server/Console OS:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard ($1000 each)
N/A $1,000
$1,000 per
server
$1,000
Client Access Licenses:
Pack of 20 ($800 each)
N/A N/A
$800 for
every 20
endpoints
N/A
Server/Console SQL License:
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard ($2,750 each)
N/A $2,750
$2,750 for
primary
servers
performing
replication
$2,750
Server/Console Maintenance
Microsoft Software Assurance (25% p.a) for OS & SQL
N/A
$937.50 per
year
$937.50 per
server per
year
$937.50 per
year
Total Implementation Costs
Bringing together all the disparate cost elements provides a more complete depiction of the total cost
of implementing a client management solution. However, it should immediately be evident that the
size of a support infrastructure will affect the expected costs since each product scales differently. Below
are cost calculations for four different support stack sizes. Maintenance costs have been annualized
over a period of three years to show their expense over time. Since each environment will have unique
requirements, EMA recommends each business perform its own cost analysis when evaluating products.

Very Small Support Stack
Including costs for all infrastructure resources necessary to implement the client management solutions
suites to support 200 PCs and 10 servers systems at 1 location over 3 years:
Dell KACE LANDESK
Microsoft
SCCM
Symantec
Altiris
Management Solution $15,840 $11,760 $38,860 $19,950
Management Solution Maintenance for 3 Years $10,395 $7,762 $29,145 $14,963
Infrastructure Costs $0 $8,563 $12,550 $8,563
Total Cost $26,235 $28,084 $80,555 $43,475
Small Support Stack
suites to support 500 PCs and 25 servers at 1 location over 3 years:
Dell KACE LANDESK
Microsoft
SCCM
Symantec
Altiris
Total Cost $43,725 $57,367 $195,363 $95,844
Medium Support Stack
suites to support 1,000 PCs and 50 servers at 10 different locations over 3 years:
Dell KACE LANDESK
Microsoft
SCCM
Symantec
Altiris
Total Cost $77,910 $106,171 $424,738 $183,125
Large Support Stack
suites to support 10,000 PCs and 200 servers at 50 different locations over 3 years:
Dell KACE LANDESK
Microsoft
SCCM
Symantec
Altiris
Management Solution $363,840 $571,200 $1,149,200 $969,000
Total Cost $602,610 $956,755 $2,611,413 $1,704,313

Non-Computer Device Support
The Dell KACE appliances and the LANDESK Management Suite both natively provide capabilities
for monitoring and managing non-computer devices (i.e., printers, projectors, UPSs, etc.). The
cost comparison charts below layer support for non-computer devices on top of the management,
maintenance, and infrastructure costs for each support stack model:
Very Small Support Stack
Supporting 200 PCs, 10 servers, and 10 non-computer devices at 1 location over 3 years
Management
Solution
Management
Solution
Maintenance
For 3 Years
Infrastructure
Costs
Total Cost
Dell KACE $17,090 $8,972 $0 $26,062
LANDESK $12,320 $8,131 $8,563 $29,014
Small Support Stack
Supporting 500 PCs, 25 servers, and 25 non-computer devices at 1 location over 3 years
Management
Solution
Management
Solution
Maintenance
For 3 Years
Infrastructure
Costs
Total Cost
Dell KACE $27,650 $14,516 $0 $42,166
LANDESK $30,800 $20,328 $8,563 $59,691
Medium Support Stack
Supporting 1,000 PCs, 50 servers, and 50 non-computer devices at 10 locations over 3 years
Management
Solution
Management
Solution
Maintenance
For 3 Years
Infrastructure
Costs
Total Cost
Dell KACE $48,290 $25,352 $0 $73,642
LANDESK $61,600 $40,656 $8,563 $110,819
Large Support Stack
Supporting 10,000 PCs, 200 servers, and 500 non-computer devices at 50 locations over 3 years
Management
Solution
Management
Solution
Maintenance
For 3 Years
Infrastructure
Costs
Total Cost
Dell KACE $366,340 $192,329 $0 $558,669
LANDESK $599,200 $395,472 $8,563 $1,003,235

Operational and Training Costs
There are a number of additional factors that should also be considered when performing a cost analysis
related to on-going operational expenses. For instance, the complexity of a solution will directly affect
the number of support personnel that will be needed to administer the solution as well as the amount
of experience and training they will need to meet business requirements. EMA research shows that
administrator wages and other compensation average around $300 per full time employee (FTE) per
day, and training expenses during deployment will cost around $3000 per day or more. Including
on-costs (e.g. cost of benefits, vacation time, payroll tax, etc.) of around 25%, one week of training
and a two-week deployment (a very conservative timeframe for most software-based solutions) by two
administrators will therefore total over $40,000 during the solution implementation (and likely even
more if vendor professional services are also used).
As an appliance-based solution, however, Dell KACE incurs no additional hardware or software costs,
no procurement delays, and while training is still required, Dell KACE provides 10 hours of Web
training for $5280, which is more than sufficient for bringing multiple administrators up to speed. In
addition, on-going patching and software updates are much easier to perform with Dell’s appliance
solution. The Dell KACE appliances automatically download updates, and administrators simply press
a button to apply patches to all components including the operating system, database, web server, and
applications. This is in contrast to software-based solutions where each component must be patched
and maintained separately.
EMA Perspective
Since the inaugural edition of this document, Dell KACE has made significant strides in improving
functionality to achieve a comprehensive solution on par with Altiris, LANDESK and Microsoft
SCCM in critical disciplines, while at the same time managing to actually reduce the cost of its
management solution. As an appliance-based solution, Dell KACE avoids the high hardware and
software infrastructure costs (as well as related maintenance efforts) required by software-based
solutions. Factoring in these expenses, Dell KACE appliances can cost 60% less than rival solutions.
With its ease of use and fast time-to-value, KACE appliances present a very attractive alternative to
LANDESK, Microsoft SCCM, and Symantec Altiris CMS, particularly where financial limitations
are a major consideration. Mid-sized organizations in particular will appreciate the superior return on
investment the KACE platforms provide as they are more often challenged with budget constraints and
expansive IT business requirements.
Of course, it is important to note that this evaluation does not present a complete feature listing from
any of these four vendors. Indeed, all four solutions offer some unique features that are not available in
comparable products. Additionally, this review did not evaluate how well the solutions perform each
feature, only if they include the functionality. As such, this paper should be used as a starting point for
IT organizations to evaluate products based on their own specific needs, rather than as a definitive and
universal recommendation.
Nevertheless, the results of this product review indicate the Dell KACE appliances as strong contenders
for achieving comprehensive lifecycle management automation. EMA recommends any organization
looking to achieve enterprise-wide systems management goals investigate the Dell KACE appliances for
their excellent balance of broad functionality and cost effectiveness.

About Dell
Dell is a global provider of innovative technology and services designed to help customers do and achieve
more. The award-winning Dell KACE family of appliances delivers easy-to-use, comprehensive systems
management capabilities. Dell KACE customers typically install in one day and enjoy a low total cost
compared to software alternatives. Dell is headquartered in Round Rock,Texas.To learn more about the
Dell KACE application solution, please visit http://www.dell.com/kace or call 1-877-MGMT-DONE.

About Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Founded in 1996, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) is a leading industry analyst firm that provides deep insight across the full spectrum
of IT and data management technologies. EMA analysts leverage a unique combination of practical experience, insight into industry best practices,
and in-depth knowledge of current and planned vendor solutions to help EMA’s clients achieve their goals. Learn more about EMA research,
analysis, and consulting services for enterprise line of business users, IT professionals and IT vendors at www.enterprisemanagement.com or
blogs.enterprisemanagement.com. You can also follow EMA on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
This report in whole or in part may not be duplicated, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or retransmitted without prior written permission
of Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. All opinions and estimates herein constitute our judgement as of this date and are subject to change
without notice. Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. “EMA” and
“Enterprise Management Associates” are trademarks of Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
©2015 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. EMA™, ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES®
, and the
mobius symbol are registered trademarks or common-law trademarks of Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Corporate Headquarters:
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