System Center Configuration Manager – previously Systems Management Server – represents a tremendous advance over its well-regarded predecessor, now providing the control necessary to more effectively manage change in today’s dynamic IT infrastructures. Manage the full deployment and update lifecycle with, streamlined, policy-based automation; with enhanced insight into, and control over, assets and systems compliance; and with optimization for Windows – particularly Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista – and extensibility to customized administration experiences and third party applications. These robust capabilities can be used to manage servers, clients and handheld devices, across physical, virtual, distributed, or mobile systems — all from a single, familiar console. Built on key Microsoft technologies such as Microsoft Update,, Active Directory, and the Windows architecture, and leveraging System Center’s knowledge-driven IT management, System Center Configuration Manager helps administrators minimize the number of OS images to manage, makes it easier to define and track systems compliance, and improve systems performance and security.