We’ll soon be launching the latest update to MAX RemoteManagement. This release will see a substantial update to the Monitoring Templates.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that we’ve changed the name. It’s a small but meaningful change… they’re no longer Installation Monitoring Templates because you can now use them on existing devices as well as new ones!

In a previous release we already brought you the ability to use the templates when you upgrade devices from Asset Tracking or MAV-only plans. Now you can add a collection of checks through a template to existing devices, replacing their current set in just a couple of clicks.

What does this really mean for you?

• Greater consistency
  Configuring devices with templates drives better consistency and quality control across those devices. It makes it easier to ensure that devices are set up the same way.

• Save time and effort
  Using templates to update devices instead of adding checks one at a time significantly reduces admin overhead and the time it takes. Select multiple devices and apply all at once.

• More responsive
  Templates also make it easier and faster to make changes, which allows you to respond more quickly to changing IT environments and customer needs.

Looking ahead
We’re already busy with the next update that will allow you to choose whether you want to replace the existing checks with the selected template, as you can with the current release, or whether you want to add the checks from the template, leaving the existing ones intact.

This really takes things to the next level, allowing you to:

• Layer multiple templates and build devices up, for example start with standard core monitoring checks that you apply to all devices.

• Create specialist check templates and add them to devices depending on their function, such as adding an Exchange Server template to all your Exchange Servers.

• Work even faster and with better standardisation, especially when you have many devices to manage and maintain.

We look forward to bringing you this next update to Monitoring Templates soon.

All the details…
For now, here’s a detailed run-through of the much improved Monitoring Templates feature. Please note you need the latest agent installed, Agent v9.8.7 RC:

1. Access and manage Monitoring Templates from the Settings dropdown menu (1) (2).
   
2. You can also create a new Monitoring Template by selecting an existing device that has the checks you want to include, then click Create Monitoring Template from the context menu (3). See all the checks, make edits as needed, and save as a new template (4) – a great time saver if you already have a device set up the way you want it.
   
   
3. Now you’re ready to apply a monitoring template… Select one or more devices in the Dashboard north pane. Then select Monitoring Templates from the context menu and click Apply Monitoring Template (5). If a device has no checks because it’s in Asset Tracking mode, select “Upgrade from Asset Tracking” instead.
   
4. Run the automated check detection scan to add standard checks, or select the template you want to apply to the device(s) (6).
   
5. Lastly, confirm the update by entering your password. Note that checks associated with features such as Managed Antivirus or Managed Online Backup will not be removed and replaced by the new template or check detection scan (7). 

Wait, there’s more…
In addition to the above, we’ve also added a number of smaller enhancements in this release:

• A significant performance enhancement to the “Edit Checks Like This” dialog: Sometimes this needs to load 1000s of checks for customers with lots of devices; the old “Edit Checks Like This” dialog would struggle to load under those circumstances. We’ve made substantial improvements to make sure it will load even when there are 1000s of checks, again helping you manage checks at volume across devices.

• The new Maintenance Mode feature we released a month ago is now available for Administrator Users as well as Superusers.

• We’ve resolved an issue in the Patch Management Approval Policy dialog so you can filter by Severity in the Severity column.

• Windows Phone under Mobile Device Management goes GA … up to this point it has been in RC status and free of charge. Windows Phones in MDM will be billed from March onward.

• We have a new GA agent, v9.8.6, which includes an updated MAX Backup check in support of the great new MAX Backup version 15.0 that was released last week.

Let us know what you think
We hope this update helps you perform better check management across devices, please let us know how we’re doing and what else you think we should do to Monitoring Templates to make them even more useful.

And finally…
Full release notes are listed below.

Staging Release Notes

Please note, staging release notes are subject to change. Final release notes will go out with the release.

Summary for Service Release
Service Release focused on new features, bug fixes and performance
Dashboard v5.57
Agent v9.8.6 GA, Agent v9.8.7 RC

Dashboard v5.57
FEATURE: Apply Monitoring Templates to selected devices, replacing existing checks (requires Agent v9.8.7 RC)
UPDATE: The Maintenance Mode feature is available to Administrator users as well as Superusers
UPDATE: CART definitions update to version 661
UPDATE: Windows Phone handsets managed in MDM are now GA and become billable devices
BUGFIX: Ensure the Severity column filter on the Patch Management Approval Policy dialog lets you filter by severity
BUGFIX: Ensure SMS alerts are only sent when specified in the settings for a device
BUGFIX: Ensure the XML Data Dump under Reporting in the Asset Tracking section always generates successfully

Agent v9.8.6 GA
UPDATE: Support MAX Backup v15 in the Backup Check

No further updates since Agent v9.8.5 GA

Agent v9.8.7 RC
FEATURE: Apply Monitoring Templates to selected devices, replacing existing checks