Software deployment as it should be!
Featuring Lanovation's award-winning software
packaging technology an all-new Deployment Console and Conflict Checker
Professional, Prism Deploy is software deployment as it should be. Prism
Deploy's learning curve is typically one afternoon
Prism Deploy can install and update software on every local, mobile and remote PC or laptop across your entire organization starting today. Unlike other software deployment solutions, Prism Deploy is easy to learn and use, is 100% reliable and delivers a return on investment in just one or two uses. With Prism Deploy, you can finally get software from shrink wrap to desktop in less than a week, even a single day, quickly, reliably, easily and simply.
Prism Deploy includes all the features found in Prism Pack
- Award-winning software
Packager
- Remote and mobile PC
and laptop support
- Superior deployments in
mixed PC environments
- Drag and drop
Deployment Console
- Conflict Checker
Professional
- Windows 2000 & XP,
including MSI support
WHICH ONE
IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
PRISM PACK OR PRISM DEPLOY
CLICK HERE FOR A COMPARISON OF FEATURES
PRISM DEPLOY KEY FEATURES
- Powerful Deployment Console
Drag and drop Installation
tasks onto computers or groups of computers no matter where they are.
- Automatic Client Installation
Automatically push Prism
Deploy's Client to PCs throughout your entire organization.
- Centralized Distribution Reports
Receive immediate feedback on the status of your deployments including
detailed alerts.
- Point or Targeted
Deployments
Target PCs or groups of PCs
for immediate update, deployment or repair.
- Easiest Package
Creation
Simply click "next"
and Prism Deploy builds a Package for you. You never have to write or edit
complicated scripts.
- Unparalleled Reliability
Customer feedback shows Prism
Deploy is reliable 99.999% of the time when installing software on and
updating PCs.
- Immediate Return on Investment
With a short learning curve
and high reliability levels, Prism Deploy pays for itself in just one or
two rollouts.
- Mobile and Remote PC Support
Keep your mobile and remote
workforce updated with Prism Deploy's advanced Internet deployment
capabilities.
- Self Healing Capabilities
When Prism Deploy fixes
software it only fixes what is broken making it fast and bandwidth
efficient for self-healing applications.
- "Managing Diversity"
Referred to by the Gartner
Group as "managed diversity", Prism Deploy is designed to work
in a mixed or heterogeneous environment.
- Conflict Checker Professional
Prevent "DLL Hell".
With Conflict Checker you can evaluate Prism files for conflicts in the
files and the registry PRE-deployment.
- Windows 2000 & XP Complement
Fill in the gaps
Intellimirror, Active Directory and Windows Installer leave with Prism
Deploy's: deployment capabilities, centralized reporting and support for
legacy applications.
Prism Deploy combines Lanovation's
award-winning packaging technology with an all-new Deployment Console and
Conflict Checker Professional. It's a true best-of-breed software distribution
solution that makes it easy to install new software and update every local,
mobile and remote PC across your entire company -today.
ALL-NEW DRAG AND DROP SOFTWARE DEPLOYMENT CONSOLE
- Automatic Client Install
Remotely install Prism Deploy's
Client on target computers. Push the Client to Windows computers for
remote installation. You never have to visit target computers to use Prism
Deploy.
- Push
Graphically distribute software
installations, updates or other changes to end users or computers. Install
software to individual or groups of computers at one time without visiting
each computer or re-imaging hard drives - including remote and mobile
computers.
- Distribution Reports
View, print, and export the
results of distributions. You can quickly and easily see the results of
distributions from anywhere in the world, and you can determine which
computers have their software and which don't in a single step.
- Schedule Distributions
Tell Prism Deploy when to install
a Package to an end user or computer. You can schedule distributions to
occur at some point in the future, e.g. after hours when bandwidth
constraints aren't a concern.
- Network Independent
Prism Deploy's distribution
console works across any network operating system. Prism Deploy works on
any Windows or Novell network or across the Internet. Update any PC, no
matter where it is or what it looks like.
- Auto-Population
Prism Deploy's console populates
with computers on your network, including Windows 2000 groups and users
Prism Deploy automatically adds your existing computers to its console.
This enables you to begin immediately managing computers in your
environment.
GRAPHICAL PACKAGE CREATION - NO COMPLEX SCRIPTING REQUIRED
- Graphical Packaging Expert
Create Distribution Packages with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Prism Deploy's learning curve is typically one afternoon, not the weeks or
months required with other distribution tools.
- Drag-and-Drop Editing
Drag and drop editing lets you
edit and "tweak" Packages to your needs. Prism Deploy's Editor
lets you view and edit all the components of your software in one
easy-to-use interface.
- Easy-to-use Scripting Language
Prism Deploy provides a powerful
and easy-to-use scripting language. Use Prism Deploy scripts to achieve
the ultimate control of your distribution. Perform complicated upgrades or
run your own programs from within a Prism Deploy script.
HIGHLY RELIABLE DISTRIBUTION
- 100% Reliability
Prism Deploy users typically
achieve 100% success rates when distributing software. Keep end users
productive. Eliminate trips to end users' computers to fix problems. Cut
help desk traffic to a bare minimum.
- Conflict Checker
Check distribution Packages for
conflicts in the files and registry before you deploy. Eliminate "DLL
Hell" and other hard-to-diagnose problems on end-users' Computers
before they occur.
- No User Intervention
Prism Deploy installs Packages in
the background while users continue productive work. Not requiring input
from users dramatically reduces the number of errors end users experience.
- Global Distribution
Prism Deploy distributes software
in any language. Support your entire global corporation in every country
of the world.
- Rollback
Prism Deploy's Uninstall feature
lets you undo or uninstall any changes you've made to your computers using
Prism Deploy. Whether you change your mind about a distribution or just
want to free up software licenses for other computers, Prism Deploy makes
it simple to remove the software you've deployed.
- Logging and Reports
Get immediate distribution
reports in both broad and fine detail. Gain immediate access to
distribution status. The information from Prism Deploy reports can be
easily imported and accessed in other database tools.
FLEXIBLE DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS
- Automatic Reboot
Tell Prism Deploy to reboot a PC
after an installation. Some software changes do not take effect until a PC
is rebooted; Prism Deploy ensures computers are rebooted as necessary so
end users can begin using their new software immediately.
- Customize User Messages Before, During
and After Installations
Prism Deploy optionally lets you
display custom messages before, during, and after a distribution. Prism
Deploy lets you inform end users that changes are being made to their
computers, and you have full control over what users see, if nothing at
all.
- Update all Users of a PC with a single
distribution
Machine-specific software changes
are installed once; as each user logs into a PC they receive the settings
unique to them. There's no need to repeat installations for multiple
users, preserving bandwidth and saving time.
- Install Software After Hours
Distribute software to your
computers after hours, when no users are logged on. Perform rollouts when
bandwidth-constraints are at a minimum.
- Self-Installing Files
Prism Deploy creates Packages
that can be saved as executables. Install and update software on computers
even when the Prism Deploy Client isn't running.
FINE CONTROL IN MIXED ENVIRONMENTS
- Smart Variables
Define variables with different
values for various computers and users. Prism Deploy's variables look at
the target computer for the right settings for an installation. Use a
single Package to install and update software on widely heterogeneous
computers.
- Find and Replace
Search a Prism Deploy file for a
specific value and replace each instance throughout the entire file. You
can quickly locate and change anything you want within a Prism Deploy
file. Changing a server name, for example, takes seconds.
- Paths Utility
Search a Package to immediately
locate and change all embedded path references in one easy step. Quickly
change a hard-coded Path reference within a Package to a variable so the
Package can be deployed to diverse Computers.
- Set Disk Space Requirements for Target
Computers
Tell Prism Deploy how much disk
space must be available on target Computers before a Package installs.
Prevent failed installs and other problems due to lack of disk space.
- Set Operating System Requirements
Tell Prism Deploy to which
operating systems a Package should install. For operating system specific
applications, you can specify which operating systems will receive
software.
- File Level Control
Tell Prism Deploy how to treat
files that already exist on a target PC. You can choose to never replace
older files, to always replace older files, etc. across an entire Prism
Deploy package or for individual files within a Prism Deploy package.
BANDWIDTH-SENSITIVE DEPLOYMENTS
- Bandwidth Efficient
Prism Deploy compresses an
application by up to 70% of its original size. For bandwidth-sensitive
deployments including those over WAN links and the Internet, you'll get
the most efficient use of network bandwidth.
- Exceptional Internet and Intranet
Distribution
Prism Deploy fully supports
software distribution using the HTTP and FTP protocols. Users do not need
drive mappings or a UNC path to the Prism Deploy server.Prism Deploy only
pulls the necessary components from the package across the wire to
minimize bandwidth requirements. Users can install software hosted by any
web server. Distribute updates to customers and mobile users who don't
have access to your corporate network. Prism Deploy doesn't require a
temporary copy of a Prism file on target PCs - keeping bandwidth
requirements to a minimum.
- Single Compressed Files
Prism Deploy saves its
distribution packages as single, compressed files that can be viewed and
edited. Prism Deploy's Packages are very portable and can be easily
deployed from any media.
- Web Expert
Use Prism Deploy's
"Expert" to create a Web page for distributing software and
updates to end users. Perform easy "cafeteria-style"
distributions where end users can access and fix the software they need
when they need it.
- Extend "Suites" to Mobile
Resources
Prism Deploy Packages can be used
to update computers that traditional management suites aren't touching.
Ensure your mobile workforce has the latest software and updates they need
to be productive.
WINDOWS 2000 COMPATIBILITY FEATURES
- Manage Transition to Windows 2000 &
XP
Prism Deploy supports all
versions of Windows. Prism Deploy lets you manage existing investments
while you migrate to Windows 2000 and XP.
- IntelliMirror Snap in
You can distribute Prism Deploy
files using Windows 2000 IntelliMirror .ZAP files Prism Deploy supports
and enhances the management features of Windows 2000, including Active
Directory, Group Policies and IntelliMirror.
- Windows Installer "Expert"
Prism Deploy's Windows Installer
Expert lets you convert a Prism Deploy file to an .MSI file in just a few
clicks. You can use Prism Deploy's easy to use interface to capture and
Package any software changes and simply convert them to an .MSI file.
- Secure Environments
Override user permissions and
install software to locked-down NT, 2000 & XP Computers. You can take
advantage of the security features in Windows NT, 2000 and XP and automate
distributions to users who don't have administrative rights. No need to
grant temporary admin rights during a distribution.
- No need for MST files
Prism Deploy's advanced file
format and editing capabilities make it easy to customize a Package to
install on diverse Computers. Prism Deploy's files work on heterogeneous
Computers, eliminating the need to create and edit Transform (MST) files.
SOFTWARE DEPLOYMENT SOLUTION FOR PC MANUFACTURERS
Prism Deploy enables PC Manufacturers or
anyone who configures PCs to
Speed up custom installations
Get control over all OS images
Be able to meet customers changing software and business needs
Update systems at customer sites
Every second
counts.
Prism Deploy features the 11-time
award-winning PictureTaker packaging technology. Creating deployment packages
that are compressed to an average of 50% over a normal installation saves time
and lots of it! Using Prism Deploy's 99.999% reliability you ship a better
product.
Gain control over
all those OS images.
Have modularity. Do you have terabytes of disk space required to house all of
those operating system images? What happens when there's an update to one
application that's included in about 100 images? Make you sick to your
stomach? Using Prism Deploy in conjunction with your cloning software, you can
maintain fewer large, unwieldy OS images and layer the software on top of the
cloned images as you need to. When an application is updated, you no longer
need to update the entire image (or 100) - rather just the Prism file.
Be agile.
How long does it take you to add a newly released software application to your
custom offerings? Prism Deploy is so easy to use and fast; you can literally
receive the software and have it packaged and on the manufacturing line in
just a couple of hours.
Update systems at customer
sites.
Ever had to send an Express Mail package with a device driver to customer
sites for systems you just shipped? What does this cost you? Prism Deploy can
package any software changes. It works over any network, so you can update
your customers new computers over the web. You might even create new revenue
streams using Prism Deploy.
SOFTWARE DEPLOYMENT
SOLUTION FOR ASPs/MSPs
Do you manage your customers' software over the Internet? Would you like to?
Prism Deploy enables you to remotely install
and update he software on your customers' desktops. While the traditional ASP
model was built around a thin client architecture that required the
development of new software applications that run from a server, the fact is,
most of the software your target customers are running doesn't run from a
server! Not to mention the fact your cusotmers have probably invested quite a
bit of money in their "fat" Windows desktops. With Prism Deploy, you
can help your customers leverage their investments and still outsource
important IT functions.
Regardless of whether your customers are
renting or they have purchased applications from a vendor (you can leave that
mess to them), you can promise them a quick turnaround time to getting the
software from shrink wrap to users' desktops with Prism Deploy. As updates are
available, you can promise your customers access to latest software and
patches in a timely fashion. Best of all, Prism Deploy's Deployment Console
and Internet deployment features ease your customers' security concerns. With
Prism Deploy, it's easy to put the software on your cusotmer's side of the
firewall so you (and they) are less reliant on "the pipe". Contact
our sales department to learn more today!
CASE STUDIES
R & C use Prism
Deploy to install Office XP across 6 different sites.
"Because the law we practice varies so widely, the software
needs also vary greatly. It became clear to me that we would need a software
deployment tool with a lot more power in order to handle Robinson & Cole's
diversity - a tool that actually worked."
Dave Heck , Robinson and Cole (click here for the full case study)
Honeywell Saves $8
million in 3 Years Using Lanovation's PictureTaker
"Since they began using PictureTaker
Enterprise Edition three years ago to prepare and test software and updates
for division-wide distribution, Honeywell Building and Home Controls has saved
$8 million. This savings is based on documented numbers and does not include
"soft numbers" such as employee productivity. Additionally, end-user
satisfaction among Honeywell Building and Home Controls division employees is
the highest in the company."
John Peters, Honeywell (click here for the full
case study)
Bar Harbor Banking
& Trust Cuts Costs and Time Spent on Major I.T. Project By 98%
"To get that software manually installed
and tested, it would have taken me about 3-4 hours for every PC. Thats
about 1,100 hours of labor working a 40-hour week, it would have taken me
6 months to get those PCs on the floor and up to speed," said John
Vreeland, senior Network Manager for Bar Harbor Banking & Trust Company.
Using PictureTaker, Vreeland was able to slash the time this project demanded
(1,100 hours) by 98%, spending only 25 hours configuring 300 PCs for the
entire Bank staff.
John Vreeland, Bar Harbor Banking &
Trust Company (click
here for the full case study)
WHITE PAPERS
Overview
of the Windows 2000 Environment: How Prism Files fit in (click to read more)
New features built into the Windows 2000 Server
product line promise to lower the TCO for managing users and PCs, especially
in the area of distributing and updating software. The superior packaging and
deployment technology in Lanovation's Prism Deploy and Prism Pack works in all
areas of Active Directory to enhance your investment in this new environment.
Prism
Deploy and Prism Pack in the Active Directory Environment (click to read more)
ZAP files are a component of the Windows 2000 Intellimirror feature. The new
Intellimirror feature is the broad term for change and configuration
management. Using Group Policies as its foundation, Intellimirror enables
users' software and configuration to "follow" them on- and offline.
Part of Intellimirror is the concept of software distribution, where users'
applications follow them. One way of achieving this is through another new
feature called ZAP files. ZAP files are examined by Group Policies for
execution on users' PCs. This paper examines how you can deploy Prism files
(deployment packages) via ZAP files.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Operating System
Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP or higher, Millennium Edition (Me), 98, or 95.
Processor
Pentium or equivalent
RAM
64 MB RAM
Hard-disk space
20 MB
Notes
Target computers (to which software will be distributed) must be
running Microsoft Windows NT4, 2000, XP or higher, Millennium Edition, 98, or
95 operating systems.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does Prism Deploy
perform "point" or "targeted" deployments?
Yes. Enabling point or targeted deployment means you can specify a single PC
or laptop or a group of PCs that needs a software update - and you can target
just that computer or group of computers to receive the update, now.
Setting up deployment tasks with Prism Deploy Channels is a very quick and
simple process, especially when compared to the long and involved process
required by management suites such as SMS and Tivoli.
Prism Deploy's Console graphically shows you the computers you manage. When
you want to install new software, update or fix software, follow 3 simple
steps:
1) Create a Package using the Editor containing the changes you want to
deploy.
2) Create a Task in Prism Deploy's Console to install the Package.
3) Assign the Task to the computers. Assignments are accomplished
simply by dragging and dropping the Task onto the computer(s) you've chosen.
The next time the targeted computer(s) contacts the Prism Deploy Console (the
polling frequency is set by you) the update occurs. Best of all, you receive
immediate feedback via Prism's reports so you know the PC or laptop has
received the update.
Can I use Prism Deploy to
manage my mobile and remote workforce?
Absolutely. Keeping PCs up to date with the latest software in a LAN
environment is challenging enough. It's even more challenging to update a
mobile and remote workforce. Traditional management suites don't have built-in
support for handling remote systems, which are becoming more and more
pervasive in nearly every corporate environment. Remote systems are often used
in high-profile ways and must work properly! If the presentation software on
your sales gal's laptop won't work at a customer presentation, she's got a
problem and so do you!
Prism Deploy is optimally designed for
deploying software and updates to mobile and remote PCs and laptops. Prism
Deploy has several built in features for this environment, specifically:
- Industry leading compression - typical software installation Packages are compressed by an average of 50%.
- Network independence - Prism Deploy only requires TCP/IP for its communication between the Prism Channel and its clients.
- Http, https, ftp file support - Prism Deploy scripts, tasks and Packages can all point to Internet file names, not just drive mappings and UNC paths.
- Built in "Web Expert" in Prism Deploy's Editor assists you in building web pages for software deployment. You can post Prism files on a web page for users to access, providing "self-service, on-demand" software deployments.
- Smart repair - Prism Deploy's Client only pulls the components the target system needs across the wire when it fixes software. There's no need for the user to download an enormous file to their temp directory first, then launch the fix.
How does Prism Deploy work
in my heterogeneous environment?
Referred to by the Gartner Group as "managed diversity",
heterogeneity is a fact of life. The upgrade and deployment process cannot be
viewed as a one-time event; rather it's a constant process. You buy new
computers, you upgrade old computers; you have different types of users with
different software applications and different needs. You have a mobile and
remote workforce. You have a mix of Windows 2000, NT, 98, 95, maybe some XP.
Users have software installed in different locations. How do you get it all
under control?
The answer is, you probably can't. Users
won't submit to "doing things your way." Locking down systems
completely might work for some users, but probably not all of them. Plus,
computer users need to have a little freedom, right?
Fortunately, the developers of Prism Deploy
believe in making "managed diversity" possible, while still fully
automating the software deployment process. Prism Deploy has features that
provide network administrators fine control over how a deployment Package
behaves when it reaches target PCs
a deployment Package's behavior is
customized to each PC.
As an example, let's say you want to upgrade
1000 computers to Office XP. Some users are running Office 2000 (but from
about 10 different locations); some users have Office 97; some users don't
have Office at all. Believe it or not, Prism Deploy can automate this
update/install. Prism Deploy's Smart Variables, Paths Editor and scripting
make it possible to send out one deployment task that does the right thing in
each environment! Really
Can I use Prism Deploy
with the Windows Installer (MSI)?
The short answer, "yes". The real question, "should you?"
The Windows Installer is a developer's tool for creating software installation
programs. While it has some built in features for making software deployment
easier, it also has some significant drawbacks:
It was designed by and for programmers,
not for network administrators (the ones who actually have to implement the
technology!).
Does not deploy software; that must be accomplished by setting up and
managing Group Policies at the Windows 2000 server
Provides no easy-to-use tool for updating existing software.
Provides no solution for legacy software.
Provides no tools for customizing software for a diverse environment.
Does not let you undo or rollback an installation without breaking other
software!
If your company is pure Windows 2000,
including Active Directory, Intellimirror and Group Policies, you may choose
to use Windows Installer (MSI) files to install software on end users' PCs. If
you do reach the decision that MSI is appropriate for your environment, you
probably still need to package legacy software that is not available in the
MSI format. Prism Deploy works great for capturing and packaging any software
changes. You can then simply convert a Prism package to an MSI file and away
you go.
Before adopting a pure MSI approach, you might want to ask: Do I have
experienced programmers in my IS department to create MSI files for software
deployment? Is every computer exactly the same? Will I know if users receive
the software? Will I know if the software is working? Will end users continue
productive work while their PCs are being updated? Will they be required to
enter information during the installation? Can I customize the install routine
for a diverse environment? And, what happens next month when there's an update
to the software?
According to Microsoft, the management initiatives built into the Windows 2000
operating system are limited and not intended for use by large, complex,
diverse, spread out environments. For these environments, there's Prism
Deploy.
Using snapshot technology, Prism Deploy captures any software changes for
deployment to multiple PCs. Prism Deploy's powerful yet simple packaging
technology has won 11 industry awards and is in its 5th generation. There's a
reason for its acclaim: it actually works!
- When Prism Deploy packages software, it does so in a single compressed file that you can customize to work in any environment. You'll never have to build or edit complicated scripts, deal with GUIDs, transforms or patch files. Just use the Prism Deploy Expert to create a deployment package almost automatically.
- Prism Deploy's Console provides drag and drop deployment (and scheduling) so you can control when Packages are deployed to end users' PCs.
- The Prism Deploy Console provides immediate reports on the status of deployments so you know if end users' systems actually received the software.
- You can customize Prism Deploy to display prompts before and after a package install, or it can be completely silent. No matter what you decide, users continue productive work while you update their PCs because Prism Deploy works in the background.
- Prism Deploy's Smart Variables, Paths Editor, overwrite properties, disk space requirements and OS requirements make it easy to customize a package for a diverse environment. You can send a single package that always does the "right thing" - even on PCs that are widely different.
- Prism Deploy's rollback functionality is extremely intelligent; it always puts back everything it removed or changed during a deployment and removes the things it added. Prism Deploy does not remove shared dlls that other software applications are using, even if Prism Deploy installed the files in the first place.
We recommend you do software packaging and
deployment the easy way - with Prism Deploy!
Can Prism Deploy
"self heal" software?
Yes Prism Deploy enables you to make sure your end users always have
functioning software - by allowing you to customize an application's shortcut
to perform needed repairs each time it's launched. Since Prism Deploy is
smart, when software is in need of repair, it only fixes what is broken. This
makes the process very fast and bandwidth efficient and completely invisible
to the end user.
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