If you want to apply and control distributed systems, there is a need to use what is typically known as system management software. Assuming a company is big enough and has operations spread out significantly enough to warrant a distributed system, the benefits are quite self evident. For a growing business, there is a cutoff point at which it becomes not viable to do individual installations on each station, and sort through the paper and electronic trail left by every single user in order to really centralize the complete setup.

Systems management, also known as change control is the process in which changes in the system are put into operation. This process is done in a controlled manner, hence the term change control, through the use of a pre-delineated model or framework. In hindsight, this method makes use of the systems management software which is very useful in making sure that any and all important changes are done systematically to achieve organizational changes and to search for possible solutions to problems that are associated with ineffective performance of your computer system and networks.

The systems management software takes into consideration the human's aversion to change but still takes control of the system through a configuration manager that manages the database within the training and testing setting, not to mention the real-time setting as well.

Cost Reduction: First of all, no company, big or small, needs to worry about not benefiting from system management. The only debatable point is the ROI related to the cost of the software and paying a system administrator. Regardless, once implemented, it cuts down the need for IT staffing and other related expenses on a long-term basis. The real savings come from the capability to install new systems and software faster and at a lower cost. Companies start using client-server architecture, ERP and other kinds of enterprise level software and systems. It helps them expand, and open branches where otherwise it may not have been possible. End of the day, it leads to a massive makeover for the entire company, with large-scale improvements in distribution, productivity, work flow and reporting capabilities.

Security: System management has a huge impact on IT security. The same security settings are implemented on all stations, and any new policies are remotely implemented instantaneously on all the stations. Users can access any station and get the same settings and data, made possible by settings that apply to specific usernames and job or department levels. This makes the network more capable of withstanding external attacks. Security patches and critical updates can be done instantaneously on all stations without any extra effort or manpower, which reduces the window that attackers can use to take advantage of bugs. The network gets centralized enterprise anti virus and malware protection. Even the data is more secure as regards hardware failure or data corruption, since everything is stored on servers with a backup system.

Then there is configuration control, which is the list of methods and approval stages that are needed to modify a configuration point's traits and reinitiate them. Configuration status accounting is the facility needed to document and deal with the configuration baselines correlated to each point at any time period. The last task is Configuration audits, which has two aspects: functional audits and physical audits. The former deals with the functional and performance attributes of the configuration point. On the other hand the latter makes certain that the configuration point is established according to what is required by the detailed design records.


Any service worth having is an expense, but when the benefits of having the service outweigh the costs associated with them then you should know that you are making a great business decision, and that is why so many businesses are taking that leap and purchasing remote management services.