In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Windows administrators looked really good. The Windows operating system used primarily in companies was finally able to restrict the installation rights of conventional users. Without any administrative rights, there was no software on the PCs and in the minds of IT managers, the imaginations of the Golden Image and the standardized work environment emerged.
Advocatus Diaboli - do not like a store
It was now over with the individuality and the unwanted interaction of operationally used programs and with undesirably installed software was over. Proverbially everything about the one comb to be scheren did however not necessarily for satisfaction among the users and certainly the creativity a little on the line: too tight was the corset, into which the EDV its users wanted to force
Who is the choice?
At the latest with the appearance of Apple's iPhones in 2007, the concept of software provision should change fundamentally. Perhaps the system of the "store" is a much more important element in the IOS empire than the technologically rather impractical mobile phone itself. Software installations on PCs were complex, dependent on many factors and required a certain technical expertise on the user side. As simple as Apple made its Mac OS / OSX customers, it was never on Windows.
Is it worth it?
Mac users drag a folder onto the hard drive and the installer takes care of the rest. The customization options of the Windows installers have always been more complex, but also more complex. On iOS, the desire for a new program, known as an app here, reduced to the selection in the store, the release of a purchase through a passcode and the wait until the piece of software has been fully installed.
A short time later, other vendors discovered the store concept, and today, even in standard Windows, a store can be found by allowing users to buy and install their desired programs without any technical knowledge. IT professionals can barely escape the charm of the simple implementation - otherwise no apps could be found on their own device under Android, Windows Phone or iPhone.
Even Nokia strengthened the slowly dwindling platform with a store - with programs that no one wanted to have. What is working on the miniature computer for the shirt pocket and at the game platforms on the steam, users are increasingly looking for their business computer. A negative attitude on the part of IT should not be sustainable in the long term, because the market as a rule requires it in the long run.
IT administrators are regarded as modern people with a tendency to technical gaming - one should assume. But is this assumption true at all? In view of the immense complexity of an IT installation in a company, at least some IT executives have departed from modernity. Before the administrator suggests to the side of a new technique, the "robustness" of the system must be kept in mind.
Reliability, stability, availability and the lowest possible number of support calls - these are the legitimate goals of an IT expert. In case of doubt, a more static remote desktop server farm environment is a better solution than a flexible work environment adapted to the user. At least if it is the robustness of the facility is useful. Adaptation of new technologies takes time.
Even if the technical stability of the self-service installation processes, software kiosks or online ordering systems in the Amazon style is given in many client lifecycle or systems management suites, some questions still remain on the line. No matter how the technical implementation ultimately complains, then a proper software package is necessary. Anyone who manually installs manual software on client PCs must first make the next development step towards the software package.
Package installations with on-board equipment, for example the distribution of MSI packages through group guidelines, would be the next stage, but this requires a coordinated environment, especially in distributed locations. Larger suites for the management of PC systems in companies, for example ACMP from Aagon, also offer their customers a professional packaging service. Administrators do not have to worry about the design of MSI or product-specific packages, but are referring to the software installation files from an experienced service provider. If it is free standard programs such as Mozilla Firefox, PDF reader or multimedia enhancement such as VLC, there is no pressure on billing and approval.
If a program does not cost anything, the superintendent's use on the computer of the employee is in all likelihood no preference. However, this attitude changes rapidly as soon as the cost center is burdened with higher amounts for programs such as "MS Project" or "Adobe Creative Suite". Whether the prices of such software are appropriate or not - this hardly plays a role. More important is the answer to the question: Does Mr Bär ever need MS Project to organize the next departmental celebration? The responsible supervisor would like to give the answer before it comes to a purchase.
With regard to the development steps, this means nothing other than: There must be an authorization system which allows the supervisor to authorize the purchase. On the other hand, such a concept requires a catalog of software solutions that are provided with quotations. Technically speaking: a web store and a workflow engine, which derives the personal hierarchy from a directory service. Rigid specifications within such a solution would severely limit the usability, so the most flexible way to display the employment conditions is to be as flexible as possible.
This assumes that they are always up-to-date. This is less a requirement for IT than for the personnel department. Without a mapping of the permits and possible decision-making limits on the euro amount, a service or software store in the company mutates into an extremely expensive, but practically useless toy.
The system is only correct if the system does not produce a sheet of paper at all, but a partial or fully automatic accounting is carried out in financial systems from SAP or Microsoft Dynamics. Automatic software provisioning and signatures on the order form or offset form do not really fit together. However, two other things do not fit together: Any installation and non-monitoring licenses. Without a license management tailored to the solution, a software kiosk system, at least when administrators offer licensed programs, is a guaranteed path to licensing. However, in order not to put huge sums of money into software licenses, it is necessary to monitor the programs actually used. This is the only way to help IT managers ensure that unused licenses are returned to the pool.
Anyone who makes the paragraphs as a requirement once on the tongue, can guess how much work it is before an automatic software deployment with approval, installation and billing in the own company functions. This is not for small or medium-sized companies - where IT is unlikely to be able to provide such a scenario.
Unfortunately, it is often so in life: The road to success is long and stony. Is the effort described here at all worthwhile? Do not disappearing too much money and resources already in the necessary organizational conditions? These questions can not be answered easily, since the answer depends on the specific circumstances. Larger companies certainly benefit from the implementation of the overall process. Small businesses may also have simple self-service or software kiosk variants. Regardless of the chosen path, it is always important to map the entire required process, without media breakage.
Not to be underestimated are the services the big software vendors already offer themselves in the form of cloud services. Microsoft, Apple or Google increasingly make more products directly on the Internet. Local office applications may no longer be available when users are able to use them directly on the Internet.
Through the digital transformation, old IT processes change fundamentally and administrators and IT managers are well advised to find their individual balance between stability and modernity.
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