Lesson 1. Deployment Strategies

Time	This lesson takes about 30 minutes to complete.
Goals	Describe the challenges in deploying and updating Mac OS X in an organization
	Develop and implement a deployment plan for a client management solution

Welcome to Part 1, "Deployment," designed to address the challenges in deploying and maintaining a large number of computers to provide the optimal end-user experience.

As system administrators, we know you need to do things quickly! Rather than relying on a new employee to configure his or her own system, you must provide a solution that guarantees consistent configuration and a positive user experience. In an education setting, an instructor might need to reset Mac OS X systems back to a "clean" state in preparation for a new set of students coming into a classroom.

Unfortunately, the needs of users and system administrators can sometimes be at odds. People use computers in the workplace or in the classroom to get work done. Meanwhile, system administrators need to provide applications in order for users to be productive, and the simple act of installing and removing applications at will can be disruptive to users trying to do other tasks. This lesson will help you understand the needs of users and system administrators in a variety of situations and provide you with techniques to meet those goals and solve problems that arise along the way.