Just in case you haven't already heard, here at Symantec EPM Product Management we have made an exciting strategy change in our Deployment portfolio. I want to share with you the good news and what it means to you. In short, we are further investing in the Altiris Deployment Solution 6.9 technology and have released a new product with a strong roadmap.
Here are the key points you need to know around our strategy and how to access the new release:
- The original intention was for Deployment Solution 7 to eventually replace Deployment Solution 6.9. We have been executing on this assumption for a number of years.
- After taking over Symantec Deployment Product Management in the last year, I continue to believe that DS 7 solves a slightly different problem to DS 6.9 and we need to focus on their respective strengths. DS 7 is optimized for scale and integration with ITMS while DS 6.9 is aimed at best of breed imaging capabilities. These two use cases are not always compatible and that's why I feel we have room for both products in our portfolio.
- I have therefore consolidated our deployment portfolio by combining DS 6.9 with Ghost Solution Suite. This solves three problems:
1. It gives us a platform to continue to invest in DS 6.9 technology
2. It helps to streamline our portfolio so we can target our development investment more effectively
3. It provides a much-needed update to GSS customers
(note that I appreciate GSS 3.0 is not a like-for-like replacement for GSS 2.5 yet but we are working on that!)
- Due to our aggressive investment in GSS 3.0, there will be no more service packs for DS 6.9. We will fix any new issues in GSS 3.0 rather than DS 6.9. The installation of GSS 3.0 is exactly the same as the installation of DS 6.9 SP6 (in-place upgrade). Therefore other than the product being named differently, you can consider this to be the equivalent of something like SP7.
- DS 6.9 will reach the end of its EOL cycle in June 2016, beyond which point we will no longer be supporting it. This may feel aggressive, but we have already supported it beyond the typical product lifecycle of 7 years. This policy is absolutely required to drive this technology forward.
Licensing:
While the technical transition is straightforward, there are some licensing changes that we will need to work through. Here are the details:
- DS 6.9 licenses haven't been sold since the launch of DS 7. Customers have been buying DS 7 licenses and we have been including a DS 6.9 license.
- Anyone buying DS 7 or a suite that includes DS 7 will continue to get a DS 6.9 license included until the next release of IT Management Suite or June 1st 2016 (whichever comes first).
- While GSS 3.0 is a technical evolution of DS 6.9, in licensing terms it is a completely different product. In fact, the licensing technology used in GSS 3.0 is entirely different and incompatible with DS 6.9.
- It is necessary for all DS customers that wish to keep using DS 6.9 technology to obtain GSS 3.0 and this will require new licenses. We have tried to make the transition to GSS 3.0 as easy as possible and our hope is that there will be no extra cost for you to transition compared to your DS maintenance renewal. There may be some cases where this isn’t possible, but we will do our very best.
- Once the transition has occurred, you will in the future be able to choose the technology that best suits your needs.
- Learn more here about how to migrate using the attached licensing FAQ.
We are listening very carefully to all feedback and welcome your comments!
Thank you,
David Evans
Senior Product Manager – Deployment Products