IETF plans emergency system for Internet

IT managers will get new tools to manage systems on demand with the introduction of a new software product and a monthly service, both announced Tuesday by Intel.

The Santa Clara, California-based company introduced the Intel Instant Support Suite software, which provides a variety of tools for remote problem resolution, and the Intel LANDesk Asset Service for collecting data on systems across a corporate network, the company said in statement.

With Instant Support Suite, administrators at a help desk can send a small piece of client software (less than 300K bps) to the end system whenever they need to troubleshoot a problem. They can then use techniques such as remote control, file transfer, rebooting the remote system and chatting with the end user, as well as collecting real-time information on the system's condition. When the session is done, the client software is automatically removed to ensure security, Intel said.

The Intel LANDesk Asset Service lets managers inventory the hardware, software and configurations of all their PCs and servers from one location on demand. The information comes in the form of XML (Extensible Markup Language) data and is transmitted using the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) security standard, the company said. It can be viewed in a variety of report formats. The service can ease the process of auditing and documenting a company's compliance with software licenses, Intel said.

Instant Support Suite will be available beginning March 29 and carry a list price of US$7,995 per help desk console. LANDesk Asset Service is available now for a monthly fee of $7 per node that allows administrators to run an unlimited number of inventories.