Cranberry SC20 Smart Client review

Jobs manage and update the clients and these can be run immediately, scheduled, run at reoccurring intervals, after the next reboot or even every reboot. Another handy option called FreshDeploy is to apply the job only to new agents when they first register with the database. Remote software deployments must be unattended otherwise they will fail so for applications such as Office you'll need to have MSI and MST (Windows Installer Transform) files plus installation files available in a shared location. We also tested using the standard Acrobat Reader silent install executable and had this deployed across our clients in a few minutes.

FreshBoot will be valuable in environments that are difficult to control and once activated it will lock the configuration of the client's hard disk and reinstate it after every reboot. The implications for virus or malware infections are obvious but you could even use it to install requested applications for users on a one-time basis and when their session is completed, reboot the client to remove the software.

Cranberry's SC20 Smart Client neatly spans the gap between thin clients and desktop PCs with a compact, well-built package although it could be more competitively priced. However, remote management and software deployment are handled neatly, the systems are easy to secure and they're a lot greener and quieter than big, fat desktop PCs.

Author: Dave Mitchell