Microsoft has released a beta of System Center Configuration Manager for Windows Server 2008

System Center Configuration Manager enables a powerful user-centric approach to client management. This approach addresses the growing reality – that people want to move fluidly between multiple devices and networks – by making it easier for IT to support users with configurations tied to their identity instead of to individual systems or devices. As a result, IT can help people work the way they want, practically wherever they want—with a familiar experience across different devices and contexts.

Configuration Manager provides IT a lean, unified infrastructure to deliver these new capabilities and workloads for client management, virtualization, and security. The solution puts IT in control of costs and compliance, providing an evolutionary path to new capabilities that leverage existing people, processes, and technologies.

Configuration Manager reduces the cost and complexity of IT compliance by delivering increased visibility and discovery, and enhanced, IT-definable remediation capabilities. It’s all designed to help IT simplify delivery of a user-centric approach to client management. And because it is built by Microsoft engineers who have exceptional knowledge of Windows, Configuration Manager delivers tight interoperability with Windows, for more effective and efficient management.

Please note this is a Beta release. If you would like to provide feedback and participate in newsgroup forums please join the Open Beta on Microsoft Connect. (In order to participate and gain access customers will need to sign in with a Windows Live ID and Register with Connect).

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