We are currently in the process of migrating from Altiris to Workspace One. It has been a challenging journey but we are making progress and I believe that it will be a good shift for us going forward. I'll try to comment on a few of the biggest things we've noticed so far in our implementation. Note that we are running things in parallel during the conversion.
Device vs User basis
WS1 is user centric while Altiris is device based for management. This can be a big paradigm shift for managing systems so be sure you understand those implications. We have had issues with security due to device based filters being overwritten by user based policies in restricted subnets.
Asset Management
WS1 is not an asset management solution. Our Altiris instance includes Asset Management modules that help to monitor our endpoint lifecycles. WS1 is not built for that and will not give you what you need to properly track them. We are moving all Asset tracking into Service Now.
Software distribution
I personally feel that WS1 has the upper hand in this area, but I'm sure many long time Altiris admins will disagree. Proper ring management seems to be a constant promise from WS1 that has not made it live yet, so that is a disappointment. Freestyle Orchestrator gives you all the tools you could need and is being further integrated through the ecosystem.
Intelligence
Altiris reporting is powerful, but it follows older principles for distribution in our environment. Having fully interactive dashboards with drill down vs an emailed sql report is a big change. Having the automation capabilities of Intelligence is a huge advantage for WS1.
This is just my personal hot takes on the switch for us, so your mileage may vary.
Thanks,
John
John Cross-Sarvis
John.Cross-Sarvis@PortlandOregon.gov<mailto:
john.cross-sarvis@portlandoregon.gov>
Principal Information Systems Analyst
Original Message:
Sent: 2/1/2023 9:18:00 AM
From: Mike Grueber
Subject: RE: Broadcom CMS versus WorkSpace One
The needs of each customer differ.
I recommend that you carefully review how you are using CMS today and determine if WS1 will meet all of your needs with respect to aspects such as content delivery (e.g., bandwidth throttling and peer-to-peer delivery), granular control over things such as end user deferral of software installations, the capabilities of Managed Software Delivery policies, etc.
Determine what functionality that you use today in CMS is critical and then ask the project manager piloting WS1 if it addresses those use cases.. You may find that WS1 does not address some of the use cases and will then need to decide how critical those use cases are to you.
I would also suggest that you compare the cost of WS1 and Altiris CMS, as well as the effort required to migrate from one product to another.
Original Message:
Sent: Jan 31, 2023 05:42 PM
From: Tal Fisher
Subject: Broadcom CMS versus WorkSpace One
I was hoping to get more information from the community. We have a new director, and he wants to replace BroadomCMS (Altiris) with Vmware WS1. We are also getting a new CIO this Spring. So he wants to see some change as well. I am not convinced that Altiris should and can be replaced by WS1. We officially have a project manager assigned to us for piloting WS1.
Original Message:
Sent: Jan 23, 2023 11:36 AM
From: Shawn Mayhew
Subject: Broadcom CMS versus WorkSpace One
@Mike Grueber I have asked for this comparison paper before. Understanding it might not be the best time politically to produce it. Especially the ability of Altiris to manage patch rings in a much tighter manor.
The pull of one software library to manage multiple environments is very tough to resist. Also
I am much more concerned what is going to happen to my support structure - will Broadcom gut the support teams at Workspace One like they did Symantec? If so Intune looks very attractive
------------------------------
Altiris Admin since 2002
Original Message:
Sent: Jan 20, 2023 05:33 PM
From: Mike Grueber
Subject: Broadcom CMS versus WorkSpace One
Hi Tal,
I will let others comment on the pros and cons of Altiris and Workspace 1.
It's important to note, though, that Broadcom has not completed its acquisition of VMware yet. Broadcom has entered into an agreement to purchase VMware, but that agreement is subject to regulatory approval. Until that time, all interaction between the two organizations must be conducted at arms length. That means that the two organizations cannot yet collaborate on a go-forward strategy with respect to products such as Altiris and Workspace 1.
In my experience, Symantec Client Management Suite's strength is in managing laptops and desktops, whereas Workspace 1's excels in managing mobile devices. There are many customers who use Client Management Suite to manage desktops and laptops but rely on Workspace One to manage mobile devices.
From my perspective, the agent-based capabilities in Client Management Suite provide a breadth and depth of functionality to manage laptops and desktops that cannot be duplicated by Modern Device Management, which is a form of simplified and light-weight management.
Original Message:
Sent: Jan 20, 2023 04:27 PM
From: Tal Fisher
Subject: Broadcom CMS versus WorkSpace One
Now that Broadcom has acquired Vmware (Workspace 1) what is the future for Broadcom CMS (aka Altiris)?
What are the pros and cons between both technologies? I have been using CMS and have been certified since version 7.1. The company wants to replace Altiris with Workspace 1. What are your thoughts? In advance, Thank you.</mailto:john.cross-sarvis@portlandoregon.gov>