Developed By: Matthew Wander & Nestor Zamora

1. A Feature-Based Analysis & Comparison of IT Automation Tools: Comparing Kaseya to SilverBack Technologies Developed By: Matthew Wander & Nestor Zamora Advisor : Dr. S. Masoud SadjadiSchool of Computing and Information SciencesFlorida International University sadjadi@cs.fiu.edu http://www.cs.fiu.edu/~sadjadi/ (305)348-1835

2. Agenda • Introduction • Comparison & Discussion • Glossary • Acknowledgements • References

3. Overview • Dell ProManage Remote Infrastructure Monitoring (DPRIM) is a revolutionary IT Automation tool owned by Dell Inc. which can monitor a wide variety of devices such as servers, desktops, switches and routers.  • DPRIM is unlike conventional automation tools such as Kaseya; it functions without the use of agents. It can monitor devices using patented remote technology as opposed to agents. • A single image containing everything needed only needs to be installed once per customer location and is maintained centrally. DPRIM can then create an SSH or Telnet session which is used for remote access.

4. Background • DPRIM Technologies is one of the longest running managed service provider companies, starting just 11 years ago in 1999. • In the Summer of 2007, Dell buys SilverBack Technologies. • Since its conception in 1999, Dell has won many awards and recognition for being the standard by which other remote management products are judged. • In 2001, SilverBack Tech was awarded the Crossroads 2001 A-List Award.

5. OS Coverage • To install SilverStreak, which is the backbone of DPRIM, on a device one of the following Windows operating systems are required:  • Windows 2000 Professional or Server with any Service Pack (Service Pack 4 recommended) • Windows Server 2003, 32-bit or 64-bit • Windows XP Professional, 32-bit or 64-bit with Service Pack 1 or higher (Service Pack 2 or higher recommended, with Microsoft’s firewall Startup Type set to ‘Manual’) • Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate, 32-bit or 64-bit (Service Pack 1 or higher recommended)

6. Grouping Managed Devices • Groups are a collection of Managed Devices that can be used to create Monitoring Policy Targets. • Placing managed assets into groups enables the user to specify Monitoring Policies only to a set of Managed Assets chosen by the user. • The grouping of assets also allows the user to use groups as Monitoring Policy targets in order to directly specify Monitoring Policy targets.

7. Functional Coverage • Functional Coverage: • Multi-tenant monitoring • Access control, delegation and privileges • Notifications • Policy-based provisioning • Easy-to-use user interface • Integrated, customizable knowledge base • Interactive HTML documentation • Performance • Vulnerability scanning • Patch management • Intrusion monitoring • Firewall monitoring • Asset management • Scheduled rediscoveries • Local credentials • Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM)

8. 1.1 Architecture • The Dell ProManage Remote Infrastructure Monitoring (DPRIM) platform uses a distributed management approach that gets around connectivity issues posed by firewalls and NAT. • Instead of using an Agent, in the case of Kaseya, DPRIM deploys a program called SilverStreak, which is a proxy at the customer’s location.

9. 1.2 Auditing & Asset management • DPRIM’s assets reporting feature tracks assets by IP address, nodename and software image for capacity planning, maintenance andaccounting purposes. Each report provides information about four key target types: •       Networks - routers, switches and firewalls•       Systems - Windows servers, Windows desktops, HP-UX, Solaris, AIX and Linux servers, and printers•       Applications - Cisco Unified Call Manager servers Exchange 2000,2003, and 2007 servers, SQL Server, and Active Directory servers•      Port Monitors - DNS, FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, Novell NetWare, POP3, SMTP, SQL Server, and Sybase.

10. 1.3 Remote Control • DPRIM can remotely access operating systems such as Windows and Linux and devices such as switches and routers. • It also has support for many networking protocols. • The system is integrated, requiring no additional software. • DPRIM can also support multiple remote access sessions simultaneously. 

11. 1.4 Automation • DPRIM has many different automation features ranging from remote desktop, remote scripting to automatic distribution to remote systems and running scripts per a schedule or on-demand. • Running scripts simultaneously on multiple systems and policy templates to allow you to apply the best practices across multiple services. • Using these different automation techniques is quite easy in DPRIM.

12. 1.5 Monitoring • DPRIM has a fully integrated best-of-class monitoring system which supports the most comprehensive fault, performance and security monitoring. The monitoring section covers almost all makes and models of devices, operating systems and applications. DPRIM provides out of the box monitoring for most infrastructure devices: • Firewalls • Routers • Switches • Printers • Servers • Desktops • Applications • This is management is done without the use of an agent and VPN-less. The software is fully integrated so it does not require additional software.

13. 1.6 Patch Management • Patch management is also an integrated feature in DPRIM, requiring no additional software. Patches can be scheduled or installed manually and supports about 400 different products/versions, without the use of a VPN or agent. • One-click settings are available, which can set automatic updates to always download the latest available patches and if installation fails, an alert will be generated. • Users can generate executive level reports on a regular basis. Reports include recently installed patches, installation failure information, and what patches are missing for each machine on the network.

14. 1.7 Backup & Disaster Recovery • DPRIM does not have a fully functional backup system. As of now, DPRIM only backs up credentials on SilverStreak.

15. 1.8 Endpoint Security • DPRIM has a fully integrated (no additional software required) endpoint security monitoring service. • This portion of DPRIM creates reports using industry standard format, which is Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVEs) format. DPRIM does interior and exterior scans with or without credentials.DPRIM also has integrated patch scanning in this portion of its program, which scans for more than 400 different products and versions. • DPRIM’s endpoint security supports different types of devices such as switches, servers, firewalls and routers. DPRIM’s endpoint security has many key features: • Integrated vulnerability scanning • Executive level reports by customer, device or bulletin • Direct links to Microsoft’s knowledge base • Automatic updates to latest available patches • Login/logout activity monitoring • Account modification monitoring • Automatic alerts for suspicious activity • Security alerts from routers, switches, firewalls, desktops, and servers • Centralized definitions of analysis rules • Distributed collection and analysis of events • Event storage for later forensic analysis

16. 1.9 User State Management • DPRIM has User State Management as a fully integrated service. This service includes many key features: • Remote control connectivity to desktops • Ability to distribute patches to desktops • Prepare and execute scripts on desktops    • Share console access with desktop user • Ability to distribute software to desktops • DPRIM's User State Management feature can monitor security alerts such as login failures, viruses and application usage.

17. 1.10 Help Desk • DPRIM has a fully integrated ticketing/alert management system. It has the ability to track and report on a large history of issues. • There is also proactive paging system which can be done via email, cell or pager. Tickets and alerts can be created and sent on a time-based notification. • The help desk feature allows you to view hundreds of customer alerts on a single screen. • Integration with third party software such as Connectwise and ServiceNow is also possible. 

18. 1.11 Reporting • DPRIM use different types of reports that include, but are not limited to, executive level summary reports, monthly reports, performance, and security scorecards. • Multiple reports can be bundled together in an on-demand or scheduled generation, in PDF or HTML format. • DPRIM also offers two-page performance and security that offer high-level snapshots that can be run on a weekly or monthly basis. • More comprehensive reports are available to DPRIM users such as the in-depth monthly service report which covers aspects such as performance and security over a monthly basis.

19. 1.12 System/User/Admin Management • DPRIM provides Alert/Event Management which can be configured to receive only alerts that users find important. • It has profiles for both users and administrators which allow you to restrict the usage of different system features. Access can also be assigned for individual machines as opposed to having one administrator control everything. • Adding users and assigning their rights is simple using DPRIM’s graphical interface.

20. 1.13 Usability • DPRIM has an easy to use, web-based interface. The learning curve is not steep, and the features are better explained and organized than many other Automation programs. • Moving amongst the different modules is fast and efficient, and allows you to achieve tasks in a short amount of time. 

21. 1.14 Reliability • DPRIM incorporates many of the best processes and procedures from the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). • The ITIL is a series of publications by IT professionals providing guidance on the best practice for IT service management. It can incorporate many of the features, right out of the box: • Incident Management • Configuration Management • Problem Management • Service Level Management • Change Management • Availability Management

22. 1.15 Performance • DPRIM uses a Web-based system, which in our opinion was relatively quick. The system responded to our every move without having to make us wait long periods of time.

23. 1.16 Supportability • DPRIM can monitor almost any device connected to a network, not just computers but also routers, switches, telephones, and printers. • It also can monitor different software or operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Solaris, AIX and Mac OS. • DPRIM is also very scalable, making it useful for both small businesses and large ones. • The support structure is multi-tiered, designed to minimize bandwidth. • Help desk response is very fast, usually responding to any request within 24 hours.

24. Agenda • Introduction • Comparison & Discussion • Glossary • Acknowledgements • References

25. 2.Evaluating and Discussing

26. 2.1 Rating Results Explanation/Discussion

27. 3. Glossary • DPRIM - Dell ProManage Remote Infrastructure Monitoring • VPN – Virtual Private Network.

28. 4. Acknowledgements • Don GrimesModular ServicesO. 512.946.1677 or toll free 877.671.3355 ext. 946.1677C. 512.423.6835Email: Don_Grimes@dell.com • Lincoln H. DeMouraSr. Solutions Consultant | Modular ServicesDell Global ServicesMobile: +1 508-813-6026Email: lincoln_demoura@dell.com

29. 5. References • Clarke, Gavin. "Dell buys SilverBack on road to recovery." Register 18th 07 2007: n. pag. Web. 22 Apr 2010. <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/18/dell_silverback_acquisition/>. • "Dell ProManage Remote Infrastructure Monitoring." SilverBack Tech. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr 2010. <http://www.silverbacktech.com>.