Today Prowess introduces a comprehensive Windows deployment solution featuring several new, patent-pending technologies to solve many long-standing IT problems in the enterprise.

New Prowess SmartDeploy® 2008 is the first Windows deployment solution to allow for the creation of delta files against WIM images, extending the value of WIM images for enterprises. It is also the first hardware-independent imaging toolset to provide for driver-injection at boot time, simplifying deployment and easing distribution by reducing total image count.

System image files are large, and businesses typically require one system image for each hardware platform in use. Storing large libraries of images is a burden on IT, but perhaps more important, distributing these images to computers within large, geographically disperse companies is slow and expensive.

“The problems associated with maintaining lots of images are only compounded as system images are updated due to software patches and hardware changes,” says Aaron Suzuki, Prowess CEO. “The updated images – often larger than the original images – must also be stored and distributed. It’s a serious issue when you’re dealing with thousands of computers in locations around the globe.”

When deploying an image to a computer, SmartDeploy’s Platform Manager injects the required drivers into the image at boot time, allowing for system images to be created and deployed based on user roles, rather than hardware platforms.

“Platform Manager can dramatically reduce the number of images that have to be maintained by the IT team,” says Don Noonan, Prowess Software Architect. “It also means that changes to hardware drivers can be distributed as small “platform packs” instead of entirely new images. This really reduces the time, storage, and bandwidth required for distributing updates. The efficiency really is compelling. And it’s easy to use.”

SmartDeploy also allows for updates to WIM images to be created as delta files. Considerably smaller than the original image, these WIM deltas can be stored and distributed throughout an entire enterprise with less strain on bandwidth.

SmartDeploy is available as a free trial, and is licensed per target device. For more information, visit www.prowesscorp.com/products/smartdeploy.

About Prowess

Founded in 2003, Prowess is a software and services company focused on making IT technology easier to learn and use. With a background in marketing, technical writing, and IT services for Fortune 500 companies, Prowess produces system deployment tools and associated service offerings.

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