Good News for Partners plus a Report from ATT Live
December 22, 2010
I had planned a discussion on software recognition for this note — and I will touch on it in a moment — but there’s been too much news around Novell of late to ignore. So, thoughts on recognition in the near future; in the meantime …
Doubtless you’ve all heard the announcement about Novell being acquired by Attachmate. I’m not sure if there’s more uncertainty now or before we knew to whom the sale might take place.
I hope you’ve seen the recent letter from Attachmate’s president. If not, read it here. I’ve seen a few of these letters, but I was particularly struck by the commitment to "existing roadmaps and release schedules" — that’s quite precise wording. If Attachment carries through with that, then I’m pretty happy with the prospects for ZENworks. I’ve recently returned from ATT Live 2010 in Las Vegas and had an opportunity to listen to the Product Management roadmap for the next year or so. There’s a ton of great stuff to look forward to, including some nice improvements on the asset management side of the product. If you’d like to hear more, drop me a note and we can set up a call.
Not 15 minutes prior to the circulation of the Attachmate letter, an email arrived announcing a decision to "delay planning" for BrainShare 2011. I was just getting ready to submit proposals for sessions on ZENworks Asset Management and ZENworks Reporting Server. We’ll have to see how the delay plays out. But if BrainShare doesn’t fly this year, perhaps the Advanced Technical Training group will step up with another Live conference as they did when BrainShare was cancelled in 2008. The ATT Live conference just completed in Las Vegas was great with plenty of learning opportunities; I had nearly a full room of enthusiastic students for my ZAM class, and another great group for a session on ZRS. The M Resort was fantastic — I hope ATT Live returns there in the future.
The other announcement of the week was that Product Recognition Updates (PRUs) for ZENworks Asset Management version 7.5 have been reinstituted through June 30, 2011 for customers with extended support. But that news came with some teeth — after June 30, 2011, "no additional Product Recognition Updates will be provided to customers for ZENworks Asset Management 7.5." "Limited product support" for ZAM 7.5 will also be available to customers with extended support.
The reality is that ZAM 7.5 PRUs have been available right along since that version fell off general support at the end of August, 2010. You just need to know where to look and be ready to download manually and adjust your installation process. But now that the word is no more 7.5 PRUs after June, the clock is really counting down on ZAM 7.5 customers. Whether you’re an early-adopter and are ready to jump immediately to ZENworks 11 when it ships on January 5th, 2011, or you’d prefer to move to version 10.3 first, you should be making plans to upgrade. I’m working actively with two customers who are in the upgrade process, and have at least two more in the early planning phases for the New Year.
Software recognition is the foundation on which all software asset management and license management projects rest. The recognition delivered by ZENworks Asset Management is an industry leader — but its effectiveness diminishes if not updated with new fingerprints on a regular basis. ZENworks Asset Management 7.5 customers have a six month lease on their recognition — it’s time to start planning upgrades now. Call or write — I’m ready to work with you!
For those interested in ZENworks 11, I plan to stand up a copy in early January after the official version drops. As soon as I have a chance to evaluate changes — especially as regards ZENworks Asset Management — I'll send along some comments.
Happy Holidays to you all!
I had planned a discussion on software recognition for this note — and I will touch on it in a moment — but there’s been too much news around Novell of late to ignore. So, thoughts on recognition in the near future; in the meantime …
Doubtless you’ve all heard the announcement about Novell being acquired by Attachmate. I’m not sure if there’s more uncertainty now or before we knew to whom the sale might take place.
I hope you’ve seen the recent letter from Attachmate’s president. If not, read it here. I’ve seen a few of these letters, but I was particularly struck by the commitment to "existing roadmaps and release schedules" — that’s quite precise wording. If Attachment carries through with that, then I’m pretty happy with the prospects for ZENworks. I’ve recently returned from ATT Live 2010 in Las Vegas and had an opportunity to listen to the Product Management roadmap for the next year or so. There’s a ton of great stuff to look forward to, including some nice improvements on the asset management side of the product. If you’d like to hear more, drop me a note and we can set up a call.
Not 15 minutes prior to the circulation of the Attachmate letter, an email arrived announcing a decision to "delay planning" for BrainShare 2011. I was just getting ready to submit proposals for sessions on ZENworks Asset Management and ZENworks Reporting Server. We’ll have to see how the delay plays out. But if BrainShare doesn’t fly this year, perhaps the Advanced Technical Training group will step up with another Live conference as they did when BrainShare was cancelled in 2008. The ATT Live conference just completed in Las Vegas was great with plenty of learning opportunities; I had nearly a full room of enthusiastic students for my ZAM class, and another great group for a session on ZRS. The M Resort was fantastic — I hope ATT Live returns there in the future.
The other announcement of the week was that Product Recognition Updates (PRUs) for ZENworks Asset Management version 7.5 have been reinstituted through June 30, 2011 for customers with extended support. But that news came with some teeth — after June 30, 2011, "no additional Product Recognition Updates will be provided to customers for ZENworks Asset Management 7.5." "Limited product support" for ZAM 7.5 will also be available to customers with extended support.
The reality is that ZAM 7.5 PRUs have been available right along since that version fell off general support at the end of August, 2010. You just need to know where to look and be ready to download manually and adjust your installation process. But now that the word is no more 7.5 PRUs after June, the clock is really counting down on ZAM 7.5 customers. Whether you’re an early-adopter and are ready to jump immediately to ZENworks 11 when it ships on January 5th, 2011, or you’d prefer to move to version 10.3 first, you should be making plans to upgrade. I’m working actively with two customers who are in the upgrade process, and have at least two more in the early planning phases for the New Year.
Software recognition is the foundation on which all software asset management and license management projects rest. The recognition delivered by ZENworks Asset Management is an industry leader — but its effectiveness diminishes if not updated with new fingerprints on a regular basis. ZENworks Asset Management 7.5 customers have a six month lease on their recognition — it’s time to start planning upgrades now. Call or write — I’m ready to work with you!
For those interested in ZENworks 11, I plan to stand up a copy in early January after the official version drops. As soon as I have a chance to evaluate changes — especially as regards ZENworks Asset Management — I'll send along some comments.
Happy Holidays to you all!
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