Quest KACE

Quest KACE
Private (subsidiary of Quest Software)
Industry Software
Founded February 2003
Founders Rob Meinhardt and Marty Kacin
Headquarters Aliso Viejo, California, United States
Products Systems management, System deployment, KaaS, KACE Go App, KACE Express
Parent Quest Software
Website quest.com/kace

Quest KACE, formerly Dell KACE, is a company that specializes in computer appliances for systems management of information technology equipment. It also provides software for security, application virtualization, and systems management products. Established in 2003, KACE was headquartered in Mountain View, California with offices in Europe and Asia.

History

KACE started in 2003 when Rob Meinhardt and Marty Kacin founded and self-funded the company for over two years. KACE subsequently received venture capital funding from Sigma Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, and Focus Ventures. KACE developed appliances designed to help IT personnel more efficiently provision, manage, secure, and service network-connected devices. In 2007, their competitors included Altiris, Novell ZENworks, BigFix, LANDesk, as well as, products for other larger companies.[1]

On February 11, 2010, KACE announced its acquisition by Dell.[2] KACE family appliances were then sold by Dell. In 2012, KACE became a part of the Dell Software group.[3]

On November 1, 2016, Francisco Partners and Elliot Management acquired the Dell Software Group,[4] which was re-launched as Quest Software.[5] KACE products are currently part of the Quest Software portfolio.[6]

Products

All KACE products are sold as computer appliances. These systems are delivered as VMware ESX or Hyper-V virtual machines. Except for initial network settings via a console login, all communication with the product is done using the graphical user interface using a Web browser.

  • KACE Systems Management Appliance (KACE SMA) - The KACE Systems Management Appliance (formerly the K1000) manages, secures, and services network-connected devices.
  • KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (KACE SDA) - The KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (formerly the K2000) accelerates the initial provisioning and ongoing administration of system images and driver updates.
  • KACE as a Service (KaaS) - Manages, secures and services all network-connected devices from the cloud.
  • KACE Cloud Mobile Device Manager (KACE Cloud) - Manages mobile devices like smart phones and tablets with mobile operating systems like Android and iOS.
  • KACE Asset Management Appliance (KACE AMA) - Manages any endpoint with a comprehensive solution.
  • KACE Go Mobile App (KACE Go App) - Enables the user to remain effective across multiple office locations and while the user is on the road.
  • KACE Express - Available as a software-only virtual appliance, KACE Express is an inventory-focused solution designed for systems that run Microsoft Windows on x86 and x64 microprocessors, including laptops, desktops, servers and tablets.

Some of the facilities offered in the application-distribution systems are also available in the OS deployment systems (to some level). For example, installation of some standard applications as part of an OS deployment. All systems do offer inventory options.

Architecture

Since before the company's acquisition by Dell, KACE appliances were sold as physical Dell PowerEdge servers with open-source software technologies. All appliances are available as virtual appliances that can run on VMware ESX, VMware ESXi or Microsoft Hyper-V. Trial versions of the appliances can also run on VMware Player. The appliances are currently not available as physical appliances.

KACE uses FreeBSD, and all collected data is stored in a number of MariaDB databases. Although, all management of the device and the data in the system goes (only) via the web-GUI, users have developed their own interfaces with other management systems by accessing the databases directly. It is also possible to integrate a KACE appliance in third party IT management suites.

References

  1. ↑ Matt Hines (October 18, 2007). "IT security and management on collision course". Info World. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  2. ↑ Andrew Nusca (February 11, 2010). "Dell acquires KACE; expands systems management to mid-size business". ZDNet blog. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Dell's New Software Division Integrates – Kace's New Role".
  4. ↑ "Francisco Partners and Elliott Management to Acquire the Dell Software Group". www.franciscopartners.com. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  5. ↑ "Francisco Partners and Elliott Management Complete Acquisition of Dell Software Group". www.franciscopartners.com. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  6. ↑ "KACE is Now Quest Software!". www.kace.com. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
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