Network and Infrastructure (Client Management Systems)

Running head: NETWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE 1
Network and Infrastructure
(Client Management Systems)
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NETWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
SCCM general operation.................................................................................................................3
Architecture and design features of SCCM.....................................................................................4
Components of SCCM.....................................................................................................................7
Advantages and disadvantages of SCCM........................................................................................9
Architecture and design features of Chef Product.........................................................................11
Advantages and disadvantages of Chef product............................................................................12
Comparison between SCCM and the Chef Client Management System products........................13
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................15
References......................................................................................................................................16

NETWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Introduction
The Client Management System has been used to enhance customer relationship in the
business sectors. According to Chen, & Popovich (2013), Customer Relationship Management
(CRM) refers to the gathering and analysis of data with the aim of decision support to the
business by identifying the needs of existing and potential customers. It includes the payment
processing, account management, credit and adjustment, catalogue and order entry among other
functions. A Client Management System according to the above definition, therefore, refers to
set of software applications that are used in the business to uncover the customer's needs and
preferences by storing, managing, organizing and tracking all the customer's interactions with the
business. The system stores all the relevant information that the business can use to evaluate the
level of relationship to the customers by considering customer retention.
There are various Client Management System products. The most common product is the
System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) software. The software is provided by
Microsoft, and with this management suite, a large number of Windows-based computers can be
controlled by a single user (Meyler, 2014). The software features include network protection,
operating system deployment, patch management, remote control and other various services. The
users of SCCM can manage computers connected to a network, corporate and the business by
integrating with the Microsoft Intune. Additionally, allows users to manage computers running
an Android operating system, mobile devices running Windows, servers using Linux or Unix and
also macOS.
SCCM general operation
The software contains the console where packages are created. The SCCM console as
well contains the command line and the executable files that support the installation of the

NETWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE
application. In the installation system, there are also the distribution points. The distribution
point is where the created packages are stored and replicated (Ashraf, 2017, October). It acts as a
file server, and they are used as storage to store and replicate the content of packages belonging
to a specific region. Therefore, the distribution point can be used for downloading the application
if a bunch of machines are remotely located rather than depending on the SCCM primary server.
To essentially enable all the computers to communicate with the SCCM server, the SCCM Client
agent application is installed on all the machines in an SCCM environment.
Therefore, the SCCM admin creates the deployment where a single target of application
is made on a bunch of machines. The app keeps on checking for the new deployments or policies
with the help of the SCCM client agent that is installed on the end user's computer system. The
policy is evaluated once it reaches the end machine. Downloading of the content is performed
immediately the policy reaches out its respective regional Distribution Point. The executable
files are installed locally once they have been downloaded and the SCCM Server in the database
updated by sending back the status of the same.
Architecture and design features of SCCM
The architecture of the SCCM is based on the client and the Configuration Manager
Server architecture. In Configuration Manager, the components include the applications, services
and threads that run on both the server computer and the client computer (Ashraf, 2015,
November). They provide Configuration Manager functionalities. The critical operation
information is stored in the central location in a dynamic computing environment.
The open architecture in the SCCM helps in customizing and automating Configuration
Manager features such as the Software Distribution by enabling the user to write applications and