IBM Tivoli Automated Software Installation Technology Speeds Deployment of Microsoft Windows Vista

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced new provisioning software that will help accelerate the deployment time for Microsoft Windows Vista customers. The new IBM software reduces the time it takes to manually deploy or upgrade a computer, including an operating system deployment, to less than a minute.

Tivoli Provisioning Manager for OS Deployment, based on technology from IBM's acquisition of Rembo, can help organizations automatically install or upgrade operating systems on thousands of servers, laptops and desktop computers simultaneously, eliminating the need for IT specialists to spend days or weeks installing software manually on each physical or virtualized computer.

Installing and configuring an operating system on a single computer can take more than an hour. Installing thousands of systems spread across a globalized IT environment can quickly cause labor costs to spiral out of control. Instead of physically installing the operating system with installation disks at every location, IBM customers can install operating systems from a centralized "dashboard" in a matter of minutes.

"Installing new operating systems is not something organizations do every day, or even every year, so their processes for doing so are likely outdated or nonexistent," said Bob Madey, vice president of strategy, IBM Tivoli Software. "With Tivoli Provisioning Manager, clients can dramatically reduce the time and complexity of installing nearly any operating system, including Windows Vista and Linux."

A company with geographically-dispersed employees can use Tivoli Provisioning Manager for OS Deployment to conduct a mass installation onto thousands of laptops or desktops, customize the settings for each and ship them to the appropriate locations -- with no involvement required from the end user. The technology can also automatically install the initial set of fixes and patches for the operating system.

The software also includes a Universal Image feature that helps IT organizations create a single, universal image they can deploy on multiple machine types and vendor systems. This feature minimizes the number and complexity of images an organization needs to manage during their Windows Vista deployment. Universal Image lets IT departments modify images on the fly to inject the right information for a specific end user target. For example, an organization may want to deploy Windows Vista to a Dell PC, which requires the right drivers for Dell hardware.

"Windows Vista empowers businesses to work and connect more efficiently and will help drive business success," said Brad Goldberg, general manager for Windows Client Product Management Group at Microsoft Corp. "By working closely with partners like IBM we are helping to provide our mutual customers with a high quality product that improves user experiences. IBM's Tivoli Provisioning Manager complements Windows Vista and aligns with Microsoft's Business Desktop Deployment best practices by providing provisioning capabilities for clients seeking to accelerate their deployment time."

Since adding Rembo technology to its Tivoli software portfolio, customers, including the University of South Australia and Groupe Mutuel, have signed on with IBM for help with the initial provisioning of operating systems, software, and patches.

Other IBM middleware will support Windows Vista in February 2007.