Computerworld

Management software easing battery recall

Embedded package is assisting in a difficult task
  • Dan Nystedt (Unknown Publication)
  • 15 April, 2007 22:00

Hardware makers in the PC industry have been working towards making the lives of IT managers easier in recent years by ensuring machines can be diagnosed and fixed more easily, especially in times of crisis.

The recent recall of 208,000 laptop PC batteries by Lenovo is a prime example. For companies such as Coca-Cola and others with operations all over the world, figuring out if company laptops were affected by the recall could be a nightmare for an IT manager.

But thanks to software Lenovo has built into its PCs, called ThinkVantage, and a tie-up with IT management software vendor LANDesk, such recalls have been made far easier to deal with in recent years.

“LANDesk software helps give a top-down view of the situation, and in this case an IT manager can print out a report that tells exactly which machines need a new battery and which don’t,” says Devin Anderson, security business line manager for LANDesk.

Such software, or intelligent firmware as Anderson puts it, is fast becoming a standard part of all desktop and laptop PCs. Intel, for example, is building such managment capability right into its chips with its vPro technology, while AMD uses a similar technology it calls SIMFIRE in its microprocessors. Such software is designed to help automate many IT management and security tasks, such as component recall information collation, and advising on software patches and security upgrades.

The idea of using intelligent firmware in PCs as an aid to IT managers has been around for a while. LANDesk, for example, used to be part of Intel, and PC makers have long used their own software to ensure all components and software in an organisation’s PCs and laptops are covered over their lifetime. Each major vendor has its own software, and some have worked with major developers of IT management software, such as LANDesk, to maximise the capabilities of the software.

Lenovo and LANDesk co-developed the LANDesk Management Suite 8 for ThinkVantage Technologies, which is designed specifically to make troubleshooting easier for IT managers handling Lenovo products.

“Recalls have a big impact on productivity. IT managers need to know how many machines are affected ... In the case of this battery recall, the software helps them see which ones need replacing. [LANDesk for ThinkVantage] will collate the information, put it in a report and an IT manager can either send or fax in the report or cut and paste the information,” says Anderson.