My experience with Symantec Server Management Suite (SMP)
Pros
- Being able to manage and report on our entire enterprise infrastructure from a single pane of glass is very handy!
- Deploying patches via the SMP can be a little complicated, but once you figure out exactly how to do it, it works very well!
- Building system images with the SMP is an easy process. I build a VM with the software I want, and then run a job that prepares the system for image capture (runs sysprep, wipes the SMP GUID, etc) and then boots into WinPE and captures the image via Ghost.
Cons
- The SMP solution is a beast. Each piece is complicated in itself let alone how everything ties together!
- There is plenty of documentation online on how to perform a specific task, but you need to pay attention to what VERSION the article is written for. I've been halfway through implementing something only to hit a roadblock since I'm running a newer version and the option the article says to click on doesn't exist anymore...
Return on Investment
- Being able to report on the majority of things you want all from one interface, makes it really easy to get the results you want.
- Because my employer didn't provide training, it took working with support, reading technical documentation, and just playing around on my own to learn how to do certain things.
- I've had a lot of help from the SMP Support staff and they're great people and very helpful!
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager
