On Technology Introduces On Command Sitemanager - Product Announcement

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, July 2, 2001

ON Technology (Nasdaq: ONTC), a provider of remote software management solutions, has introduced ON Command SiteManager -- the first software management solution specifically designed to address the time and resource constraints of both large and small IT organizations as well as the newly emerging managed service provider (MSP) market sector. The new system provides breakthrough ease-of-use and robust PC lifecycle management that significantly reduce IT support costs, improve availability and reliability of business-critical applications, and enhance both IT and end-user productivity.

ON Command SiteManager is an innovative and feature-rich solution for managing networks of PCs over corporate LANs. ON conducted formal market research showing that IT professionals are frustrated by the cost and complexity of traditional high-end software management solutions, as well as the limited capabilities of low-end cloning or disk imaging tools such as Symantec Ghost which are typically only used for initial PC deployments. SiteManager uniquely combines the simplicity, speed and affordability of low-end imaging tools with powerful on-going management capabilities previously only associated with more complex high-end solutions such as Microsoft SMS -- along with ground-breaking new wizards not previously available with any remote software management solution.

With ON Command SiteManager, IT organizations with limited time and resources can now easily deploy mission-critical operating systems, applications and content to multiple PCs simultaneously over corporate LANs, from low-cost Windows 2000 or NT servers. For example, they can deploy Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, productivity applications such as Microsoft Office XP, line-of-business applications, ongoing service packs and configuration updates, and new content such as updated price lists and cost data information. In addition, ON Command SiteManager makes IT administrators immediately productive by providing:

-- A unique point-and-click wizard that eliminates the need for complex and time-consuming script creation using proprietary scripting languages. ON's new "MSI (Microsoft Installer) Wizard" automatically creates remote and unattended, Microsoft-compatible installations for standard applications using open standards. SiteManager also includes other similarly intuitive wizards for creating and configuring base system images.

-- Bundled, out-of-the-box support for 30-plus popular applications such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple QuickTime, Lotus Notes, McAfee ViruScan, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Office, Netscape Navigator, Norton AntiVirus, Novell NetWare Client, RealPlayer and WinZip.

-- An integrated management database that allows network managers to track all installations and quickly generate queries and reports as well as perform one-click disaster recovery.

"The need for remote software management in small and medium-sized enterprises has never been greater," said Ronni Colville, Research Director, Gartner. "The scarcity of IT time and talent, the need to manage costs, combined with the ever-increasing demands of new application roll-outs and Windows 2000 migrations, means that a software management solution that combines speed, simplicity, and flexibility is a 'must-have' tool for IT."

"This is a great product that fills a real need in the marketplace," said Dyan F. Brockbank, vice president of engineering at TIC Business Consultants Ltd., a Novell and NT systems and solutions firm. "There's nothing else out there that lets you really control upgrades and installations and then keeps a record of what you've actually installed to help with on-going maintenance. With SiteManager, you can lay down the base installs, and then can add layers to it as well as go back and handle fixes and changes."

ON Technology's new solution opens up a major new market opportunity for the company in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as departmental-level workgroups in Global 2000 organizations. According to industry estimates, SMEs alone represent an installed base of over 131 million PCs covering more than 44 percent of the total available business PC market.

"ON Command SiteManager is a first-rate product that addresses all phases of software management in one integrated solution -- priced to be attractive in the face of limited budgets," said Valerie O'Connell, Managing Director, Enterprise Systems Management, Aberdeen Group. "SiteManager is perfect for those who are comfortable with imaging but need the power of grown-up automation. The product's breakthrough ease-of-use almost guarantees the quick time-to-value this market demands."

"IT professionals told us what they wanted and we built it -- and then our engineers added innovative new technology that goes even further than what our customers asked for," explained Phil Neray, vice president of marketing for ON Technology. "The initial enthusiastic response to our trial download program clearly demonstrates that IT administrators are looking for precisely this type of tactical, real-world solution that addresses the full PC management lifecycle."