System management software is what is used to implement, manage and monitor distributed systems. The benefits can be massive, subject to the caveat that the company and its operations are big and distributed enough to warrant such a system. At some point of growth, it becomes unfeasible to run around doing manual deployment, collecting paperwork and electronic data, and then have dedicated staff working to maintain centralized records.
This is where system management comes into the picture. If feasible, the company will benefit in all aspects. This includes lower IT and staff requirements, improved information sharing, enhanced security and the ability to automate monitoring and data collection.
Installation & Management: The biggest benefit is in the form of automation of new installations and upgrades. If a company has 10 computers in the same office space, it's not that hard to do installations individually on each station. But that's out of the question for companies with hundreds or thousands of computers housed at different locations. When a company starts using servers and system management software, the whole process suddenly becomes automated, and needs less staff and less time.
Cost Reduction: The question isn't whether or not this software will reduce costs. It assuredly will. The only question is whether the cost of buying and implementing the software, and hiring or training a systems manager, is feasible for the company. On the other hand, it cuts down staffing and IT costs on an on-going basis.
The savings start piling up because it is now cost-effective for the company to install new software and systems. Possibilities open up, including ERP and other enterprise level client server based architecture systems. The company has the capability to expand, move to distributed locations, and start adding new processes to its operations. What starts as an IT help tool ends up triggering massive changes in the company's work flow, distribution, reporting capability and productivity.
Security: System management software helps enhance security in a number of ways. For starters, the security settings on all the computers are the same and can be managed remotely by the admin. Users can be given access to the exact same settings on all computers, based on usernames and their duties. This means the computers are more immune to hacking and other external attempts to infiltrate the network.
Critical updates such as security patches for browsers and other software are automatically and simultaneously updated on all stations. This removes the threat of individual users ignoring update warnings for their own station. The same applies to updates for enterprise level anti-malware and anti-virus software. Hardware failure or data corruption on individual stations won't cause data loss because the data is being stored on servers with backup systems in place.
Monitoring: Monitoring capability on the network is one of the biggest advantages, in addition to the cost benefits and automation capabilities. The network can be monitored for both network usage patterns and employee behavior. It helps the administrators improve network capabilities, and the management to observe and follow employee work patterns and performance.
In summary, system management software is everything it is hyped up to be, and then some. While it has spectacular benefits and can accelerate the company's growth, the decision has to be made on a case-to-case basis. Each company has to do a cost benefit analysis and decide if the ROI is sufficient to warrant the change.
