Systems Management

The K1000 is a systems management device - used for client hardware/software inventory, software deployment, patch management, help desk, and more. The K2000 is a systems deployment device - used primarily for deploying operating systems to client systems.

Take a look at www.kace.com for more info on each device. 30-day trial virtual machines are available for both systems.

So the K2000 does not include whats with K1000 and they are 2 systems

Correct. They are two separate devices. K1000 is for systems management and K2000 is for systems deployment.

Is there any other options out on the market that does the same or are cheaper

Not that I know of. We chose the KBOX solution because of the functionality and cost. It is WAY cheaper than alternatives such as SCCM.

There also isn't really anything else on the market like it. I don't know of any other system that integrates so many different management components into a single solution. It improves efficiency for support by integrating the help desk directly with the asset and inventory management systems.

Does anyone know if the KBOX solutions support WIM images? I spoke with a rep and the rep didn't even know what a WIM was. Kind of made me nervous about even reviewing the product.

The K2000 deployment device does not use WIM images. You hand it the installation ISO for your OS and drivers, you setup a customized installation, and then you configure pre-installation and post-installation tasks to install applications, migrate data, etc.

Thank you. That confirms it.

I prefer the KACE method over images. It is much less bandwidth intensive when deploying remotely with repositories. It's a lot faster to push down a new 20MB application than it is to load a WIM image, install the application, reseal the WIM image, and push down an entirely new 4GB image.

WIM images are at the core of Microsoft supported Windows Vista and Windows 7 imaging. Do I like it? Not necessarily but I've been in this business long enough to know that if you venture too far from the source that you start to lose functionality as well as support if something goes wrong. We currently use Altiris and there is always a lag between OS releases and Altiris's ability to provide a solution. That's why we have been exploring other products. Despite my dislike for the fact the Microsoft's technologies tend to isolate other technologies, I had to embrace WIM imaging so that when Vista and 7 were released, I was ready to go. Basically I use Altiris as a shell to run my imagex scripts and also for software deployment. I know there are a handful of different ways to image but again, I no longer want to wander too far from the source because I've been burned in the past. In reality, this is a decision that each organization has to decide on or should decide on. Our organization decided to use WIM images in the event that if we switch to SCCM due to budgetary issues, it would help lessen the impact.

As for software deployment, I would never add an application to my base image. Application installs and uninstalls (msi files) are handled separately through Altiris or Group Policy. It's just so much easier and safer to leave images clean and not push down a whole new image.


In reality, this is a decision that each organization has to decide on or should decide on.


You are correct - the best choice is totally dependent upon the needs of each organization. I can see the need for WIM images in some cases, but timeliness in deployment of new operating systems is typically not a priority in the business world. Businesses are typically the latest adopters, because moving to new operating systems and software before the kinks are worked out after initial release is a bit risky. Historically, most businesses adopt new operating systems and office suites after the first service pack is released - which is plenty of time for support to be added in third-party patching and deployment solutions.

Yes, I'm in education so we get the joy of being early adopters! Fun, fun....[:-]

hi, my company looking for desktop management, in may hand already KACE brosur and ManageEngine Desktop Central software trial version of desktop central,

Does any one know the different......?, for a while i just look only different GUI all feature most likely same......

so what benefit from KACE....?

thanks