In order to implement and manage distributed systems, there is a need to use what is known as system management software. Assuming a company is big enough and has operations spread out far enough to warrant a distributed system, the advantages are fairly obvious. For a growing company, there is a cutoff point at which it becomes unrealistic to do individual installations on each station, and sort through the paper and electronic trail left by each user in order to centralize the entire setup.
Once system management is implemented, the process becomes more streamlined. The automation starts offering immediate benefits. It enables reduction in IT staff levels and improves security and information sharing among employees and departments, and with the data already centralized, the reporting and monitoring process becomes a lot easier.
Installation & Management: Fast and easy automation for new installations and upgrades is the core benefit. A company with a handful of computers all located in the same office can do individual installations. But it gets harder when a company has a large setup and a gazillion computers. Introduce system management, and the problems go away, the entire process is now streamlined and automated and needs a lot less effort and manpower.
Cost Reduction: The question isn't whether or not this software will reduce costs. It assuredly will. The only question is whether the cost of buying and implementing the software, and hiring or training a systems manager, is feasible for the company. On the other hand, it cuts down staffing and IT costs on an on-going basis.
The real savings come from the capability to install new systems and software faster and at a lower cost. Companies start using client-server architecture, ERP and other kinds of enterprise level software and systems. It helps them expand, and open branches where otherwise it may not have been possible. End of the day, it leads to a massive makeover for the entire company, with large-scale improvements in distribution, productivity, work flow and reporting capabilities.
Security: System management helps enhance security in various ways. For starters, universal settings can be deployed on all stations, and users can be granted access based on their username and job description, regardless of which station they use. It also helps in keeping the system safe from external attacks and hacking.
Security patches and critical updates can be done instantaneously on all stations without any extra effort or manpower, which reduces the window that attackers can use to take advantage of bugs. The network gets centralized enterprise anti virus and malware protection. Even the data is more secure as regards hardware failure or data corruption, since everything is stored on servers with a backup system.
Monitoring: Monitoring capability on the network is one of the biggest advantages, in addition to the cost benefits and automation capabilities. The network can be monitored for both network usage patterns and employee behavior. It helps the administrators improve network capabilities, and the management to observe and follow employee work patterns and performance.
To sum it up, regardless of the nature of a company or its operations, there is a strong case for implementing system management software. Of course, each company has to make its own decision, and it should be based on a thorough cost benefit analysis. For companies in a growth phase, the ROI will be immediate and the extended benefits even more substantial.
