Quest strengthens delivery of modern device management with KACE Unified Endpoint offerings

• Quarterly KACE Cloud Mobile Device Manager (MDM) release includes Windows 10 enrolment and ability to operate within MDM and KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) in parallel.

• Added KACE Cloud settings enable choice of cloud-based subscription pricing or agent-based perpetual licensing.
• New KACE Service Desk provides comprehensive ticket management system that streamlines IT workflows.

Quest Software, a global systems management, data protection and security software provider, today announced its continued evolution and advancement for Quest KACE Unified Endpoint Management (UEM). As part of UEM, KACE provides organisations the power to leverage traditional systems management, modern device management, as well as the flexibility for co-management of devices to take full advantage of hybrid functionality and technology. Teams now have broader visibility, robust security and privacy compliance, with the opportunity to leverage multiple management styles. Additional updates to the KACE solution line include Windows 10 enrolment and new cloud settings for KACE Cloud MDM, as well as KACE Service Desk – a standalone, strategic ticketing product.

As organisations continue to focus on ensuring the strongest security posture across the business to support today’s global remote workforce, increased pressure is put on the IT team to better manage and secure changing environments. With new co-management, organisations can inventory and easily implement full asset life cycle management of mobile devices, traditional desktop and laptop computers, as well as non-computer devices from one console. This provides IT with more choice, having the ability to manage some devices using modern management and others using traditional management, or a combination of the two. This transformed approach to UEM takes a more mobile-centric way of provisioning, which helps IT install more items and manage them. Traditional management is still available leveraging the KACE Systems Management Appliance and modern management is available from KACE Cloud Mobile Device Management. Customers can choose which strategy best supports their business needs.

“In order for organisations to have a complete unified approach to endpoint management, they need to have the flexibility to choose the style that works best for them. This is critical to maintaining a strong security posture across the growing list of devices and ensuring protection against cyber attacks and ransomware,” said Ken Galvin, Senior Product Manager at Quest Software. “The seamless integration of KACE SMA and Cloud MDM reinforces our commitment to evolving our solutions portfolio to meet the visibility, security and compliance needs of our customers. Now, customers have more freedom and choice in how they manage all of their endpoints together, in a variety of ways that best fit their business model.”

To extend modern management capabilities, KACE also now offers enrolment for Windows 10 devices through KACE Cloud MDM. This includes Windows 10 laptops and desktops, in addition to already supported mobile devices, tablets and Macs. The integration of Samsung Knox for KACE Cloud MDM also enhances device management options, delivering zero-touch enrolment capabilities and additional configuration and restriction options for Samsung devices. Additional new functionalities include KACE Cloud settings, which makes it easy for IT admin teams to enable or disable manual enrolments and user password settings, as well as inventory unmanaged apps on corporate and personal devices. Couple this with traditional managed Windows and Linux servers, Macs, non-computers like printers and other networked devices and IOT devices, organisations benefit from a complete UEM experience. With these new KACE updates, IT has more control around enrolling a device in one management style and managing and securing a device with a more traditional approach, to allow ease of provisioning along with detailed management techniques.

“As more employees turn to their mobile devices in the new remote world we live in, it’s more important than ever that IT teams have an all-encompassing solution to managing endpoints, no matter what they are or where they are. Having an integrated strategy is needed to stay ahead of the changing environment and address cyber threats as soon as they emerge,” said Jody Evans, KACE Cloud MDM product manager at Quest Software. “Updates to KACE Cloud MDM enable IT teams to have not just a unified approach, but a modernised approach to the management of their devices. Co-management of KACE Cloud MDM with KACE SMA and additional new features such as Windows 10 provides an enhanced KACE solution line overall.”

In the ever-changing world of UEM, it’s also critical that IT teams pay close attention to their service desk, essentially the face of the IT department. Service desks have evolved from simply an internal ticketing system to strategic tools that integrate automated workflows like new hire onboarding and self-service Web portals – a single point of contact for internal and external customer needs. Understanding IT requires an integrated solution that delivers comprehensive incident management and request fulfilment for improved user productivity and satisfaction, to position IT as a strategic internal business partner, the KACE solution line now offers a standalone service desk product.

Available already within KACE SMA, those looking for a standalone offering can now take advantage of KACE Service Desk – a comprehensive, automated ticketing system that helps IT centrally manage, prioritise and track all end-user help desk requests throughout the entire ticket life cycle. Additionally, KACE Service Desk supports organisational workflows such as new employee onboarding, and scales to support a variety of departments across the business, including IT, human resources and facilities teams.