KACE Simplifies Windows 7 Migration with KBOX Appliances Release

New Deployment and Management Optimisation Features Do the ‘Heavy Lifting’ for Organisations Upgrading to Latest Microsoft OS Release

Reading, UK – 3rd November 2009 –KACE, the leading systems management appliance company, today announced a major new version of its award-winning KBOX™ family of systems management and deployment appliances. The latest KBOX appliances offer new functionality and features that ease the migration, deployment and ongoing management of the new Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. It has been reported that 90 percent of all businesses today run Windows and in the coming months, many of these businesses will face the daunting task of migrating to Windows 7. With the KBOX technology enhancements, KACE simplifies the migration from either Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7, saving organisations of all sizes time and money in the process.

Because of Vista’s shortcomings, many organisations chose not to deploy Vista at all and instead stayed with the aging XP OS. In fact, a recent Dimensional Research* survey revealed that 83 percent of organisations are likely to skip Vista altogether and migrate directly from Windows XP to the Windows 7. With XP reaching its end-of-life, and enterprises choosing to skip Vista, the migration to Windows 7 is essential. For many, migration will be an extreme challenge. Microsoft officially launched Windows 7 on 22nd October 2009.

“Millions of enterprises around the globe are expected to migrate to Windows 7, but without the right management tools, the migration could wreak havoc on both end users and systems administrators,” said Rob Meinhardt, CEO and co-founder of KACE. “Just last week it was widely reported that organisations were having trouble migrating from Vista—imagine how tough it will be to bypass Vista altogether and jump from XP to the new operating system? With the new supporting features in KBOX, KACE significantly eases the pain of Windows 7 migration—from deployment to OS management—and with the affordability and ease-of-use KBOX is known for.”

Some of the major new deployment and management capabilities of the latest KBOX family of appliances release include:

* KBOX User State Migration - allows for the deployment of user-specific files and settings along with OS applications, reducing the risk that critical information will be lost during migration;

· K-imaging - provides a flexible file-based imaging format that uses smart synchronisation to eliminate redundant transfers in the capture, storage and deployment of Windows 7 images;

* Network OS Install - automates the build out of Gold Master reference machines and provides a hardware independent option to deploy Windows 7 through driver slipstreaming;
* Remote Site Provisioning - allows users to manage OS migration on remote sites in addition to their headquarter network;
* Enhanced Asset Management capabilities - allows users to monitor Windows 7 OS and software license compliance;
* Improved Patch Management capabilities - enables users to automatically deploy relevant Windows 7 patches to machines on local and remote networks;
* Application Virtualisation - lets users keep a Windows 7 deployment free from any potential application conflicts.

“The prospect of migration to Windows 7 is a nightmare for many organisations – particularly those with limited staff and budgets – but the expected broad adoption of the new operating system makes deployment essential for most businesses that need to maintain a competitive edge,” said Steve Brasen, principal analyst for Enterprise Management Associates. “XP and Vista will not be supported forever and application developers will increasingly release products that are not backwardly compatible to older versions of the Windows operating system. IT managers need to consider how they are going to tackle this challenge now, so that their business is not left behind their competitors in the near future. With an automated deployment solution in place, such as KBOX from KACE, systems can be upgraded across the enterprise with minimal impact on business productivity and profitability.”

Join KACE for a free webinar titled, “7 Steps to Windows 7 Migration Success- A Tutorial,” taking place on Thursday 5th November at 1.00pm GMT. To register, go to: www.kace.com/resources/uk/7-Steps-to-Windows-7-Migration-Success.

KACEsaves its customers both time and money. Systems managers are increasingly 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 systems management and deployment appliances fulfills all of the systems management needs of an enterprise, from initial computer deployment to ongoing management and retirement.

*The Dimensional Research report, titled “Windows 7 Adoption: A Survey of Technology Professionals,” is available at: www.kace.com/resources/Windows-7-Adoption-Survey.

Pricing and Availability

The KBOX Systems Management Appliance is available now and starts at £6,400. The KBOX System Deployment Appliance is currently shipping as a release candidate and will be generally available on 1st December 2009. The KBOX System Deployment Appliance will start at £3,200.

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.