System Center Online - Cloud-based Computer Management

You may be asking yourself: What is System Center Online Desktop Manager?  Those of you who are familiar with Microsoft System Center know there are a lot of products under this label, all aimed at making the management of your corporate IT environment easier, more cost effective, and more efficient. System Center Online DM is no exception.  It is a new, yet-to-be released, IT management solution that was announced at the Microsoft Management Summit this past April in Las Vegas. 

System Center Online DM differs significantly from other System Center products in that it is an online service, hosted by Microsoft, that will allow you to manage PCs without any on-premise infrastructure. It will include 'workloads', such as:

• Deploy and manage Windows Updates,
• Protect your PCs from malware,
• Perform detailed software/hardware inventories and let you manage your Microsoft licenses,
• Monitor events on your PCs,
• Deploy/manage policy, 
• Allow you to remotely share user's desktops to assist in support calls.

We are we now?  The System Center Online DM team has just completed a small closed beta, and the next beta is scheduled for this fall.  The fall beta will also be by invitation only, and you can apply to participate by going here.  Later, there will be a public beta that will include all the planned functionality for the v.1 release.

This blog will serve to document SCODM, as we prgoress through to its availability, and beyond.  True to an online service, the goal is to keep a dynamic approach, and constantly introduce new functionality into the service.  Stay tuned!