Dell recently announced the Version 6.0 of its Dell KACE K100 Endpoint Systems Management Appliance. I was able to speak with David Kloba, general manager, Endpoint Systems Management, Dell Software, last week about their changes, designed to help SMBs manage the upcoming trend of IoT (Internet of Things), as well as what drove them to make the enhancements.
In fact, David started our call with letting me know that Dell made this one of the first full dot number upgrades for the KACE line in a while, due to the drastic changes made. David, and his colleague Lisa, Senior Product Manager, explained that the KACE K1000 6.0 is dedicated to three main aspects, all of which were major concerns for the IT Pro: Visibility, Security and Expertise. Here’s how they enhanced the solution for these aspects:
- Visibility:
- Agentless Technology. This allows the IT Pro to easily identify, track and inventory devices and assets via a single web-based console. This allows them to get a better picture of what exactly is on their network.
- Support for more platforms, such as Linux, UNIX, more versions of MAC and Windows platforms.
- Centralized reporting, for ease of use.
- Support for different kinds of devices, including printers, power devices, storage, and more.
- Security. For this aspect, Dell took a circular approach: Detect Threats, Assess the Current State, Remediate any Gaps and Keep the Endpoint Protected. Again, the Dell KACE K1000 6.0 appliance has been designed as a central solution for these steps, and it includes automated blacklisting technologies.
- Expertise: Dell has developed a range of customizable user-interfaces for the KACE K1000 6.0 appliance, as well as the free K1000 GO App, which allows users to access the admin AND end user side of the appliance from their mobile devices. Also, Dell has incorporated the ITNinja, integrated IT User Community support, a knowledgebase for users. Finally, on the expertise side, Dell has released the KACE K1000 6.0 with three deployment options: On-premise physical, on-premise virtual and K1000-as-a-Service, to best fit the business needs of the user.
So how did Dell decide to enhance their appliance specifically for the IoT trend? David and Lisa told me that Dell hosted a survey in Jan 2014 of 684 IT Managers, IT Professionals and executives. The main finding of the survey is that, although most respondents were aware of the growth of IoT, they were not prepared to manage the influx of new endpoints. In a world where everything is becoming “smart,” it’s essential to adapt. In fact, 93% of those polled are concerned about supporting new device types. As it stands, 58% of respondents said that they expect to be managing over twice the number of endpoints on their network within the next ten years, with new types being added within the next three years. In addition, 48% of those polled said that they are already seeing non-traditional endpoints on their networks.
Here’s where inspiration struck: 39% of respondents said they were not confident that their existing tools could scale sufficiently to handle the growth in the types of platforms they would be expected to manage. Dell used this information to build an easy-to-use, centralized solution for their customers.
“IT departments are on the frontlines of the IoT assault, especially when it comes to configuring, managing, updating and securing all the devices that need to communicate and interact. The new Dell KACE K1000 enables companies to be better prepared for IoT by giving them greater visibility across their entire IT infrastructure, while delivering enhanced functionality to help reduce security risks, ensure endpoint integrity and ease ever-evolving systems management demands,” David Kloba, general manager, Endpoint Systems Management, Dell Software.
I was also told that existing KACE K1000 customers can upgrade their version to 6.0 at no cost.
