Advanced Systems Concepts, Inc. (ASCI), maker of ActiveBatch IT Automation Without Boundaries, announced the release of two important improvements for Version 9 of its ActiveBatch Workload Automation and Job Scheduling Software. The additions, now available in ActiveBatch V9 Service Pack 3 (SP3), dramatically simplify the scheduling of jobs involving two key enterprise computing platforms: IBM AS/400 machines and the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) systems management product.

ActiveBatch is well-known for its ability to simplify complex job processes in heterogeneous, enterprise-class computing environments. The new additions to ActiveBatch V9 SP3 take these capabilities further by removing the need to rely on scripting to automate SCCM client management and desktop deployment processes, or for cross-platform scheduling within datacenters that include AS/400. Details include:

• System Center Configuration Manager: The ActiveBatch Extension for SCCM allows IT organizations to reduce administrative effort by giving IT administrators the ability to automate SCCM processes via ActiveBatch’s Integrated Jobs Library, thus eliminating the need to rely on scripting. For example, automate an employee “onboarding” process whereby a new virtual machine is provisioned, have SCCM create a new software package, deploy it to the virtual machine and send the user a SCCM Deployment to notify them the install is ready.
• IBM AS/400: The new and improved ActiveBatch execution agent provides AS/400 users with a cross-platform enterprise scheduler that goes beyond the limited capabilities inherent to the iSeries Advanced Job Scheduler. The execution agent leverages the existing AS/400 scheduler but adds all of ActiveBatch’s automation and management capabilities, including its advanced date/time scheduling and event automation framework, Job audit and revision control, and much more. Users can execute jobs based on IT events such as an email, file or Web service trigger, or to trigger completions based on job success, failure or abort. Moreover, AS/400 jobs can now be monitored, and log files viewed, from within the ActiveBatch console. The platform’s alert architecture can also be leveraged to alert users when an issue arises.

“Enterprise IT professionals are continually challenged with ever-more complex computing environments, new data processing demands, and fewer financial and manpower resources. Given these challenges, the new enhancements in ActiveBatch will make life a lot easier for our customers,” said Jim Manias, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Advanced Systems Concepts, Inc. “Our goal is always to make ActiveBatch more relevant, easier to use, and more sensitive to modern business needs.”

ActiveBatch, a cross-platform Workload Automation and Job Scheduling Software solution, allows enterprises to centrally manage disparate jobs and workflows, including tasks involving the most common operating systems, enterprise business applications and even Web Services. Using the product’s central dashboard, Integrated Jobs Library, event-based architecture and “production-ready” job steps, ActiveBatch helps users to not only efficiently expedite the IT workload automation process, but also optimize internal, virtual and cloud-based resources on-the-fly.

For more information about these Service Pack 3 additions, or other evolving capabilities in ActiveBatch V9, log on to www.advsyscon.com.

Victoria Mack has been an editor and author for MC Press Online (formerly Midrange Computing) since 1994 and has held the position of Executive Editor since 2001. Victoria is also a freelance editor, author, and educator.