Configuration Manager Features 2012

Before you can begin planning to deploy Configuration Manager on your network, you need at least a basic understanding of the features that Configuration Manager provides. For veteran SMS 2003 and Configuration Manager 2007 administrators, these features will not be very different from what you are already familiar with. For those that are new to the product, the original product name was called System Management Server, and it started with version 1.0. However, you will find several new features added to Configuration Manager 2012, several features that were feature packs or add-ins in SMS 2003, and others that have been improved from Configuration Manager 2007. Configuration Manager 2012 no longer takes advantage of the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) technology for the administrator console; instead, each administrator console has its own stand-alone application, as shown in Figure 1.1.

The major features include the following:

1. Inventory 
2. Queries
3. Collections 
4. Application Management 
5. Software Updates 
6. Software Metering  
7. Operating System Deployment
8.  Remote Control
9. Settings Management
10. Mobile Device Management
11. Network Access Protection 
12. Wake on LAN
13. Reporting 
14. Out-of-Band Management 
15. Active Management Technology (AMT)
16. Asset Intelligence
17. Application Virtualization Management
18. Operating System Deployment(OSD) Enhancements
19. SQL Reporting Services Integration
20. Centralized Power Management
21. System center endpoint protection