Foreword

Ever since the client-server computing architecture became mainstream, IT pros around the world have been challenged and required to manage these servers and clients. As more client computers were introduced in IT environments and started playing a critical role in performing day-to-day tasks, the need to manage them became even more urgent. More importantly, these clients became an integral part of any business’s productivity and started to perform more mission-critical tasks.

Today, the clients are becoming more powerful, smarter, and increasingly mobile. They have now become assets. As these assets grow in number, become more portable, and store critical business data, the risk to organizations increases. Now, more than ever before, there is a need for IT pros to manage, monitor, and secure these assets.

Windows Active Directory and Group Policy were the starting points for IT pros to secure some aspects of these assets. However, they weren’t sufficient and didn’t give IT pros the ability to manage the lifecycle of these assets.

In 1994, Microsoft introduced Systems Management Server (SMS) 1.0. It was the beginning of client management solution, but more in the non-Active Directory era. SMS 2003 truly ushered in an era of advanced client management that leveraged Active Directory and all of its functionality. The adoption and popularity of SMS has continued to grow since SMS 2003, and Microsoft has pushed the limits of the solution and its ability over time.

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 changed the game with the vision of an integrated solution along with other System Center products. Microsoft introduced many new features and firsts with Configuration Manager 2007 and took client management to a whole new level with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. Now, Configuration Manager (both 2007 and 2012) is an integral part of the IT infrastructure of many companies, and expertise with Configuration Manager has become one of the most sought after IT skills around the globe.

Microsoft Press and the authors of this book have a passion for helping IT pros working with Configuration Manager enhance their knowledge and make the most of the solution. The authors of this book are Microsoft Consultants from Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) and Premier Field Engineers (PFE) from Microsoft Global Business Support (GBS) organizations with real field experience. The authors have come together to share their collective knowledge and experiences from both consulting and support in the field.

The authors have identified and chosen topics that are used on a daily basis by all Configuration Manager administrators around the world irrespective of the size and complexity of the solution or the industry it is deployed in. The authors have made an attempt to cover topics that are usually pain points for most Configuration Manager administrators. The authors have broken these into two books: System Center: Configuration Manager Field Experience and System Center: Troubleshooting Configuration Manager.

We hope you enjoy this book and the other one as much as the authors have enjoyed writing them, and that these resources help make the most of your System Center 2012 Configuration Manager solution.

Manish Raval

Consultant, Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS)