Replacements for RM CC4

[TeachGeek1]

Hi

 

As we are moving from CC4 my head has asked me if there are any other systems out there like CC4 that we can buy into and to have a look into them before we commit to a vanilla system. I've mentioned to them that the Vanilla system would be the better solution as it can do all of the things that we want it to do, but they're insistent on knowing the other options out there (and knowing lets me point out why the vanilla would be better). I've had a look on Google but I'm not sure what I'm finding is similar enough to what we had with CC4. Is there any other server managment software like CC4 out there?

[slugshead]

I'd go along the lines of...

 

Windows, Linux or Apple

 

Then mention that RM was just a front for management tools which are built into Windows.

[Aprice]

Burconix has some management tools, I've never used them myself but believe they have some similar functionality to CC4

[Norphy]

For all of its faults (and by Jiminy, there are many, many faults with the thing), Community Connect is a somewhat unique piece of software and you're unlikely to find one piece of software which replaces all of its functionality.

 

I think the first thing that's important to emphasise is that at its heart, CC4 is not a piece of server management technology. It's a middleware layer which is designed to manage endpoint computers and other endpoint functions. For example, it:

 

• Deploys software
  
• Deploys operating systems
  
• Deploys updates
  
• Deploys printer queues
  
• Manages/monitors classrooms (i.e. RM Tutor)
  
• Manages file shares and quotas
  
• Can transfer files between servers
  
• Creates users in bulk
  
• Manage anti-virus, if you buy the right AV software
  

 

I've almost certainly missed some of its functionality there, but I'm sure you get the idea. There's really no tool that takes all of that into one product, or if there is it probably shares similar problems with CC4 in that it doesn't do any of them particularly well.

 

The opportunity here is to find the best of breed or best value pieces of software to perform those functions, to move away from the bizarre and often outdated way that RM seemed to do things with CC4 (i.e. Primary Site servers, stuffing all functionality onto a single host, that kind of thing), or to evaluate whether you want to investigate new ways of doing these things altogether. For example:

 

• MECM or Intune to manage software deployment, operating system deployment and update deployment
  
• Standard Windows tools to manage file shares and quotas, or moving to Office 365 or Google Apps for file storage
  
• Papercut for printer management and Follow You printing queues
  
• NetSupport Cloud or Senso for Classroom management
  
• Salamander or similar tool to automate creation of users from your MIS
  
• Practically any other antivirus tool out there
  

 

The drawback is that you're going to lose your single pane of glass to manage all of these disparate pieces of functionality. The upside is that chances are that you're going to use more industry standard bits of tech which you won't be beholden to a specific company for, so you'll be able to go out to market and find any support company to support them or bring support in house more easily as there will be more people with experience with the technology you're using.

[Davit2005]

Along with similar lines I'd see what you actually use RM for which can be done in a Vanilla environment and how. And I am not pro one way or another, RM still suits some orgs.

[Roberto]

I don't think there is a competitor to CC4. It was quite literally the definition of an item being a jack of all trades, master of none. It did both back end management of users and resources, software deployment and end user device management all in one place and that's a tall order.

@Norphy has mentioned some very good points that I won't regurgitate here except to say/agree that Microsoft's management tools in Intune/Endpoint manager are able to help with the end-user computing experience - device management, software deployment, security/antivirus, etc. If you are (or are happy to become) a consumer of the Microsoft O365 platform then there's a lot to be said for the user experience and the ability to integrate the two and get the benefit of some vertigal integration there.

 

User Management can be scripted or largely automated with other tools and shouldn't be too painful to be honest. In hindsight, and as someone who at the time was a staunch believer in moving to a "vanilla setup" this is a bit of a weird one. I was very happy to migrate away from RM Connect when we did, but there is no doubt that while you can gain a lot from the flexibility to use your own choice of standard tools for various tasks, sign standard support contracts, hire staff with general windows experience, you do also lose the surface simplicity of having a single viewpoint to manage the whole thing. In many ways, I wouldn't necessarily call it a saving in terms of your time and effort at all, but you do get the benefit of choosing where to spend that effort where it will do the most good in a new approach.

Edited November 23, 2022 by Roberto

[PotNoodleTech]

There isn't really an alternative. The alternative is to go vanilla an if you don't have the time or expertise in house to perform the migration, then pay a third party company to smooth over the migration process.

 

One up and runnning vanilla doesnt really take much effort to keep running.

 

Ps if I was going vanilla again I think an excellent add on would be one of the software packages that takes data from MIS and creates AD / Office365 / Google accounts straight from the MIS as this will save your staff a lot of time over the coming years and is well worth a few grand a year.

Edited November 23, 2022 by PotNoodleTech

[Accura2k7]

Whilst i am an advocate for Vanilla networks, EiSnet from Cantium Solutions is a pretty good competitor. It uses alot of the standard vanilla stuff with an easier to use GUI.

 

They dont seem to advertise it, but it is a platform they sell.

[slugshead]

Ps if I was going vanilla again I think an excellent add on would be one of the software packages that takes data from MIS and creates AD / Office365 / Google accounts straight from the MIS as this will save your staff a lot of time over the coming years and is well worth a few grand a year.

 

In a nutshell what we do is...

 

SQL script to export users from MIS to CSV each night.

 

Powershell script runs early morning to make users if they don't exist

 

SQL script to export all classes and allocation to CSV each night

 

Powershell script to create classes as security group if they don't exist, then add users to said groups

 

AAD sync'd groups and teams etc

 

Run this every night and if anyone leaves a class etc gets readded the following morning.

[PotNoodleTech]

In a nutshell what we do is...

 

SQL script to export users from MIS to CSV each night.

 

Powershell script runs early morning to make users if they don't exist

 

SQL script to export all classes and allocation to CSV each night

 

Powershell script to create classes as security group if they don't exist, then add users to said groups

 

AAD sync'd groups and teams etc

 

Run this every night and if anyone leaves a class etc gets readded the following morning.

 

Very good!