Hi everyone! I work in IT at a company with around 450 computers, and we're updating our hardware by replacing systems that are 5 years old. Currently, we use Altiris from Symantec, but it's become a bit troublesome. My boss has asked my coworker and me to find alternative image deployment software, and we're willing to pay for something more effective than our free program, which has lost functionality after some updates.
My coworker mentioned Clonezilla, but we've been struggling to set up the Lite Server. I've also come across SmartDeploy and ManageEngine's OS Deployer, but I'm not sure if they're worth it or just paying for visibility online. Are they actually reliable these days? I found a discussion from 6 years ago on SmartDeploy, so I'm curious if there are other solid options out there.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations!
5 Answers
If you're open to a cloud option, go for Autopilot with Intune! If that’s not feasible, MDT is still around and free. It may be older but is very reliable for your needs—great for deploying Windows images, apps, drivers, updates, and it's easy to configure with various media options like USB or PXE. It's simpler than MECM too!
We've been using SmartDeploy, but we're transitioning to Autopilot, which I think is the best way to go. Seriously, you should look into it!
FOG is solid! I use it in many environments; it does fat-imaging like Clonezilla and even Norton Ghost. It supports both EFI and legacy booting, works well with Windows 11, and has decent inventory features. Plus, it can handle multicasting for larger deployments. Definitely recommend it!
We're moving to Autopilot too! But for now, I crashed our MECM server and our team is using FFU on USB sticks to deploy a golden image. We want to get compliance sorted before fully switching to Autopilot, though we're still in the testing and licensing phase.
Check out OSDCloud! I’m using it since we didn’t have SCCM and I wasn’t keen on MDT. It needs some work to set up with a custom image, but it gets the job done and is worth considering if you need a short-term solution.
Keep in mind that MDT isn't available for download anymore due to a security issue, so you might need to look for the last version via the Internet Archive.