New KBOX iPhone Management Module Enables Enterprises to Keep Tabs on Costly Mobile Devices, and Expands KACE Management of Mac OS Systems
Reading, UK – 15th December 2008 - KACE, the leading systems management appliance company, today announced the general availability of the KBOX iPhone Management Module, the industry’s first appliance-based systems management solution for the Apple iPhone. For the first time, IT organisations can centrally deploy, manage, and track their investment of iPhones throughout the enterprise, thus reducing the time and effort required to support iPhones by eliminating hours of manual setup and tracking of managed devices. As an integrated element of the KBOX Systems Management Appliance, the iPhone Management Module complements KACE’s comprehensive support for Mac systems.
This announcement comes on the heels of Gartner’s recent acknowledgement that the iPhone 3G is ready to serve business customers as an alternative to other mobile devices. Another recent study from ChangeWave shows Apple iPhones as the second best-selling corporate smart phone. iPhones are even more popular with small to medium organisations, with 22 per cent of IT managers reporting plans to purchase the devices for business use.
“We are seeing tremendous growth of iPhone usage in the workforce and once again KACE is the first to extend innovative technology to allow our customers to fully embrace the latest in mobile technology,“ said Marty Kacin, CTO and co-founder of KACE. “As the iPhone continues to be the ‘go to’ smart phone for businesses, it’s important for IT organisations to be able to efficiently deploy, track, and manage the mobile devices, just as they would any other critical computing platform. With the industry’s first iPhone management solution, KACE offers its customers the ability to manage all devices, from PCs and servers, to laptops and handheld devices, through a single integrated appliance.“
Understanding the need to manage complexity within heterogeneous IT environments, KBOX family of appliances allow IT administrators to cost-effectively manage multiple operating systems with ease, from a single interface. KACE’s new iPhone support provides centralised and easy management of multiple configuration profiles and tools to apply them based on enterprise policies. iPhone integration with the KBOX provides ease of use, visibility into user adoption, and minimises costs associated with supporting the distributed iPhone needs of the organisation.
Capabilities of the KBOX iPhone Management Module include:
• Asset discovery and reporting capabilities, allowing KBOX users to automatically track iPhones and better understand associated costs, such as carrier contract details, installed software, and reporting on asset growth;
• iPhone profile deployment, allowing for easy policy-based set-up and configuration;
• Easy policy management of multiple configuration profiles across the enterprise, enabling a reduction in costs and complexity of iPhone management;
• Self service profiles, enabling for the availability of downloads from the KBOX user portal;
• Custom Reporting Wizard, allowing for regular reporting on iPhone assets and adoption trends in the business.
“I’m excited KACE is delivering on iPhone support in the enterprise,“ said Tom Miller, senior director of IT for VNUS Medical Technologies, Inc. “Apple iPhones are an important part of our mobile computing environment, so managing and tracking them is essential. The ability to automatically manage our iPhones from our KBOX, in addition to Apple and Microsoft mobile management tools, is extremely attractive to us and shows once again how KACE offers customers innovative solutions to today’s toughest IT challenges.“
KACE saves its customers both time and money. Systems managers from medium sized enterprises are often forced to wear many hats throughout the day to work on a myriad of IT functions. KACE helps consolidate these functions by providing a single appliance for all projects, while delivering easy-to-use, comprehensive systems management that is affordable. The KBOX family of appliances fulfils all of the systems management needs of a medium enterprise, from initial computer deployment to ongoing management and retirement.
To learn more about the KBOX iPhone Management Module, join KACE for a free webinar on December 16, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. PST (18:00 GMT) titled, “iPhone in Your Organisation, They’re Here – Now How Do You Manage Them?“ To register, go to:
kace.webex.com/kace/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=823778794. Additionally, KACE will be showcasing the new technology at the Macworld 2009 Conference in San Francisco, January 5-9, booth number 3726-E (Moscone North Hall).
About KACE™
KACE™ is the leading systems management appliance company. The award-winning KBOX™ family of appliances delivers easy-to-use, comprehensive systems management capabilities. KACE customers usually install in one day and enjoy the lowest total cost compared to software alternatives.
KACE is headquartered in Mountain View, California. To learn more about KACE and its product offerings, please visit
www.kace.com or call the UK office on +44 (0)118 375 0934.
Want to comment? Please log in.