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When I wrote the first edition of this book, only one or two vendors were really doing interesting stuff with Group Policy. By the time I wrote the second edition of this book, I had a handful of vendors with a handful of products.
Vendors are now recognizing the power that Group Policy provides. Some vendors are adding to the management capabilities of GPOs, others help in GPO troubleshooting, and still others take the next logical step and extend Group Policy to harness even more power!
In this third edition, I'll list all the vendors I know that make third-party products. Do note that names of products change, and features change all the time. To that end, it's better to simply visit the company's websites to get a rundown of their current offerings.
Additionally, some vendors showcase their products on www.GPanswers.com.
Tables A.1, A.2, and A.3 list tools that can help you in your Group Policy journey. In these tables, I provide an incredibly short description of the product. On www.GPanswers.com , some vendors have chosen to showcase their tools. Otherwise, you can go to the vendors' websites to check out their products.
Vendor | Product | Company Website | Brief Description |
---|---|---|---|
Bindview | Group Policy Plus-Pack for bv-Admin | www.bindview.com | Suite of Group Policy auditing and management tools |
desktopStandard | Policy Maker Standard Edition | www.desktopstandard.com | A set of Group Policy extensions that perform common administration tasks |
desktopStandard | Policy Maker Registry Extension | www.desktopstandard.com | A free tool that enables administrators to target Registry settings via Group Policy |
desktopStandard | GPOvault | www.desktopstandard.com | Available in free and pay versions, this is a change-management tool for Group Policy |
desktopStandard | Policy Maker Software Update | www.desktopstandard.com | A Group Policy extension that manages and applies software updates and patches to computers |
desktopStandard | Policy Maker Application Security | www.desktopstandard.com | A Group Policy extension that allows an administrator to control which applications run in administrative context |
Centrify | DirectControl | www.centrify.com | Extend Group Policy to Linux systems |
Configuresoft | Enterprise Configuration Manager | www.configuresoft.com | Centralizes and automates the labor- intensive task of planning, auditing, and monitoring changes in Group Policy objects on Windows systems deployed in large enterprise networks or Web server farms |
FullArmor | Group Policy Anywhere | www.fullarmor.com | Separates Group Policy from Active Directory, allowing you to start using Group Policy today, even if you are still planning for Active Directory or Group Policy |
FullArmor | IntelliPolicy for Clients | www.fullarmor.com | Client-side extensions that enhance Group Policy |
GPanswers.com | Admin Pak line of products | www.GPanswers.com | Targeted client-side extensions for specific applications (Coming Winter, 2005) |
Special Operations Software | Special Operations Suite 2 | www.specialoperationssuite.com | A broad and deeply Active Directory integrated Desktop Management suite for all sizes of organizations |
Special Operations Software | SpecOps Deploy | www.specialoperationssuite.com | Enhances the native Group Policy Software Installation functions |
NetPro | Change Auditor | www.netpro.com | Performs auditing of Group Policy changes |
NetIQ | Group Policy Administrator (Created by FullArmor) | www.netiq.com | Provides change-management capabilities to Group Policy |
NetIQ | Group Policy Guardian (Created by FullArmor) | www.netiq.com | Performs auditing of Group Policy changes |
Quest | Group Policy Manager | www.quest.com | Provides change management capabilities to Group Policy |
Quest | Group Policy Extensions for Desktops | www.quest.com | A set of Group Policy extensions that perform common administration tasks |
Scriptlogic | Active Administrator | www.scriptlogic.com | Group Policy auditing and change management |
SYSPro | Polman | www.SysProSoft.com | A Policy Management tool for more easily interpreting Policy settings |
Vintela (to be acquired by Quest) | VGP | www.vintela.com | Extend Group Policy to Linux |
Vendor | Product Name | Website | Brief Description |
---|---|---|---|
Advanced Toolware | Policy Template Editor 2 | www.advtoolware.com/t4e/pte/pte_defau1t.htm | A tool to ease the creation of ADM templates. |
SYSPRO | ADM Template Editor | www.SysProSoft.com | A tool to ease the creation of ADM templates. |
Vendor | Product Name | Website |
---|---|---|
InstallAware | InstallAware | www.installaware.com |
Installshield/Macrovision | AdminStudio | www.installshield.com |
MASAI Solutions | MaSal Installer | www.masaieditor.com |
New Boundary | PrismPack | www.newboundary.com |
OnDemand Software | Winlnstall (many versions) | www.ondemandsoftware.com |
Wise Solutions/Altiris | Wise Package Studio | www.wise.com |
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