Altiris

Altiris was a United States enterprise software company established in 1998 by Jan Newman and Kevin Turpin after they spun off the software operation of KeyLabs, a third-party testing facility. The software had originally been developed at KeyLabs to manage the facility's own computers, and it became the foundation for Altiris's commercial products. The company was headquartered in Lindon, Utah, and built a business around service-oriented management software for corporate IT departments. Altiris's products were intended to help organizations manage distributed computing environments more efficiently. Its scope included IT asset management, systems and network administration, software and operating-system deployment, service-desk operations, security-related management, web-services support, backup and recovery, vulnerability assessment, and software virtualization. Rather than concentrating on a single endpoint tool, Altiris developed a broader management platform for organizations that needed to inventory, configure, secure, deploy, and support large populations of desktops, laptops, and servers. The company expanded both organically and through acquisitions. In 2000, Greg Butterfield succeeded Jan Newman as president and chief executive officer. Under Butterfield, Altiris acquired Computing Edge, whose technology extended Microsoft's Systems Management Server capabilities. It subsequently purchased or acquired technology and companies associated with backup and recovery, application deployment, software virtualization, enterprise management, IT operations, and vulnerability assessment. The acquisition of Wise Solutions in 2003 strengthened Altiris's application-deployment capabilities, while purchases such as FSLogic and Pedestal Software broadened its virtualization and security-management portfolio. Altiris marketed its products to enterprise and institutional customers managing substantial IT estates. The Wikipedia reference describes the company as serving more than 20,000 customers and supporting management of more than 3 million servers and 60 million desktops and laptops; these figures are historical claims associated with the company before its acquisition by Symantec. Its positioning was based on centralized control, automation, configuration management, and integration of IT service processes. Symantec announced an agreement to acquire Altiris in February 2007, and the transaction was completed in April of the same year. After the acquisition, Altiris ceased to operate as an independent public company. Its technologies and product capabilities were incorporated into Symantec's enterprise management and security portfolio. Symantec was later acquired by Broadcom, but the available reference material does not establish a separate current Altiris operating entity or a current standalone product catalog. Altiris is therefore best treated as a historical enterprise-software company and brand rather than an independent active company.

Altiris originated inside KeyLabs, a third-party testing facility. KeyLabs developed software to manage the computers used in its own operations. In 1998, Jan Newman and Kevin Turpin spun that software activity out into Altiris, creating a standalone company focused on enterprise IT management. The company's early foundation therefore came from an operational systems-management need rather than from a consumer software product. Altiris established its headquarters in Lindon, Utah, and developed service-oriented management software for organizations operating large and distributed IT environments. Its products addressed the administrative problems associated with tracking hardware and software, deploying applications and operating systems, managing configurations, supporting users, and assessing security exposure. The company's general approach was to give IT departments centralized tools for managing networks, endpoints, servers, and related service processes. Jan Newman initially served as president and chief executive officer. In early 2000, Greg Butterfield took over those roles. Butterfield's tenure was marked by an acquisition-led expansion strategy. In September 2000, Altiris acquired Computing Edge. Computing Edge had specialized in extending Microsoft's Systems Management Server with functions that the Microsoft product did not provide, and its founder, Dwain Kinghorn, had previously worked at Microsoft on the original Systems Management Server product. Altiris continued broadening its technology base during the following years. In July 2002, it acquired system backup and recovery technology from Previo. In December 2003, it acquired Wise Solutions, an application-deployment specialist. In February 2004, it acquired FSLogic, associated with software virtualization, and in September 2004 it acquired Bridgewater Technologies. In January 2005, Altiris acquired Tonic Software. In March 2005, it acquired Pedestal Software, whose products included SecurityExpressions and AuditExpress and focused on vulnerability assessment. These transactions gave Altiris a wider portfolio spanning deployment, virtualization, asset and systems management, service operations, backup, and security assessment. The resulting company was positioned as a broad enterprise-management provider rather than a narrowly focused deployment-tool vendor. The Wikipedia reference describes Altiris as serving more than 20,000 customers managing more than 3 million servers and 60 million desktops and laptops. Those figures illustrate the scale claimed for the company's installed base, although the available material does not provide a dated independent financial or market source for them. In February 2007, Symantec announced that it would acquire Altiris. The transaction was completed in April 2007. Following completion, Altiris no longer operated as an independent company. Its products and technologies were absorbed into Symantec's enterprise software and security-management activities. Symantec was subsequently acquired by Broadcom, but the available sources do not provide sufficient detail to identify which historical Altiris products remain commercially available under current branding. The historical Altiris brand is consequently associated with enterprise IT-management software and with the consolidation of systems-management capabilities into Symantec.

• 2007

  Symantec announces acquisition

  [1]Altirisen.wikipedia.org

  Symantec announced its agreement to acquire Altiris.

• 2007

  Symantec completes acquisition

  [1]Altirisen.wikipedia.org

  Symantec completed the acquisition, ending Altiris's independent corporate existence.

• 2005

  Tonic Software and Pedestal Software acquisitions

  [1]Altirisen.wikipedia.org

  Altiris acquired Tonic Software and Pedestal Software, adding further enterprise-management and vulnerability-assessment capabilities.

• 2004

  FSLogic and Bridgewater Technologies acquisitions

  [1]Altirisen.wikipedia.org

  Altiris acquired FSLogic and Bridgewater Technologies as it expanded its systems-management and software-virtualization portfolio.

• 2003

  Wise Solutions acquisition

  [1]Altirisen.wikipedia.org

  Altiris acquired Wise Solutions, adding application-deployment capabilities.

• 2002

  Previo backup and recovery technology acquired

  [1]Altirisen.wikipedia.org

  Altiris acquired system backup and recovery technology from Previo.

• 2000

  Greg Butterfield becomes president and CEO

  [1]Altirisen.wikipedia.org

  Greg Butterfield succeeded Jan Newman as president and chief executive officer, beginning a period of expansion through acquisitions.

• 2000

  Computing Edge acquisition

  [1]Altirisen.wikipedia.org

  Altiris acquired Computing Edge to strengthen systems-management functionality and Microsoft Systems Management Server extensions.

• 1998

  Altiris is established

  [1]Altirisen.wikipedia.org

  Jan Newman and Kevin Turpin spun off KeyLabs' internally developed computer-management software to establish Altiris as an enterprise IT-management company.

Enterprise IT management and systems-administration software focused on centralized asset control, endpoint and server deployment, configuration management, service operations, and security-related administration.

• IT management software

  IT asset-management solutions

  Altiris's asset-management tools were designed to help organizations maintain centralized information about hardware, software, endpoints, servers, and other IT resources. They supported the company's broader service-oriented approach by giving administrators a structured view of the equipment and software deployed across an enterprise. The available reference does not establish a single definitive product name or release chronology for this product area.

• Software and operating-system deployment

  Deployment solutions

  Altiris deployment technology supported centralized distribution of software, operating systems, and device configurations across enterprise environments. Deployment was a core part of the company's value proposition because it connected inventory and configuration information with practical administrative action. The portfolio was strengthened by the acquisition of Wise Solutions, an application-deployment specialist.

• IT service management

  Service-oriented management software

  Altiris provided service-oriented management software for IT departments. The category covered operational workflows such as service support, asset administration, configuration management, and the management of distributed computing resources. The available sources describe the category and business purpose but do not provide enough detail to identify every historical module or version.

• Data protection and systems management · 2002

  Backup and recovery technology

  Altiris acquired system backup and recovery technology from Previo in 2002. The technology broadened Altiris's ability to address operational continuity and system administration alongside its existing deployment and asset-management functions. The available material does not document a complete product history or current successor branding.

• Application deployment · 2003

  Wise application-deployment technology

  Wise Solutions specialized in application deployment, and its acquisition in 2003 expanded Altiris's ability to package and distribute enterprise software. The technology complemented Altiris's wider systems-management platform by addressing the practical preparation and rollout of applications across managed endpoints.

• Software virtualization · 2004

  Software virtualization technology

  Altiris added software-virtualization capability through its acquisition of FSLogic in 2004. This area supported the separation or controlled delivery of software within managed enterprise environments and extended the company's reach beyond conventional inventory and deployment functions.

• Vulnerability assessment · 2005

  SecurityExpressions and AuditExpress

  These vulnerability-assessment products came from Pedestal Software, acquired by Altiris in 2005. They added security-assessment functions to Altiris's enterprise-management portfolio, allowing the company to address vulnerability and compliance-related administration in addition to deployment and asset control.

• 2007

  Acquisition by SymantecM&A

  Background

  Symantec sought to expand its enterprise software and security-management capabilities through the addition of Altiris's systems-management portfolio.

  Action taken

  Symantec announced the acquisition in February 2007 and completed it in April 2007.

  Aftermath

  Altiris ceased to operate as an independent company, while its products and technologies were integrated into Symantec's enterprise portfolio.

  Source

• 2000

  Shift toward acquisition-led platform expansionStrategy

  Background

  After Greg Butterfield became president and CEO, Altiris pursued a broader enterprise-management strategy rather than limiting itself to the software that originated at KeyLabs.

  Action taken

  The company expanded through acquisitions covering systems-management extensions, backup and recovery, application deployment, virtualization, IT operations, and vulnerability assessment.

  Aftermath

  The acquisitions produced a wider service-oriented IT-management portfolio and helped position Altiris as a platform provider for large managed computing environments.

  Source

1. 1Altirisen.wikipedia.org