LANrev
Encyclopedia
Absolute Manage is a systems lifecycle management software for system administrator
s which automates IT
administration tasks. The product is composed of a server and client ("agent") software that runs on Windows
and Mac OS X
.
Vancouver-based Absolute Software acquired LANrev from Pole Position Software in December 2009, for US$12.1 million in cash and 500,000 shares of Absolute's common stock. LANrev was rebranded as Absolute Manage in February 2010.
LANrev software was used in the Lower Merion school district's
student laptop program, overseen by network technician Michael Perbix. In February 2010, Perbix and other administrators in the district were accused of using the software to take undisclosed and unauthorized photographs of students through the webcams on their Macintosh laptops. The lawsuit was brought by the parents of 15-year-old sophomore, Blake Robbins, who was allegedly accused of illicit behavior seen through his computer's webcam of him in his bedroom. The photographs, taken from a laptop that was reportedly not stolen, were then allegedly used as evidence in a disciplinary action. The FBI investigated the incident, and a Philadelphia federal judge intervened to sort out issues relating to the lawsuit.
Perbix had previously praised Theft Track, the name of the feature that lets administrators remotely photograph potential thieves if a computer is reported stolen, noting in a Youtube video he produced that:
LANrev's new owner, Absolute Software staunchly denounced the use of their software for any illegal purpose, emphasizing that theft recovery should be left to law enforcement professionals. They further denied any knowledge of or complicity in either Perbix's or the school district's actions. Absolute stated that the next update of LANrev, which would ship in the next several weeks, would permanently disable Theft Track.
System administrator
A system administrator, IT systems administrator, systems administrator, or sysadmin is a person employed to maintain and operate a computer system and/or network...
s which automates IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
administration tasks. The product is composed of a server and client ("agent") software that runs on Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
.
Vancouver-based Absolute Software acquired LANrev from Pole Position Software in December 2009, for US$12.1 million in cash and 500,000 shares of Absolute's common stock. LANrev was rebranded as Absolute Manage in February 2010.
Features
LANrev's features include:- Asset inventory
- Theft Recovery
- Software distribution
- License management
- Patch management
- Remote management
- iPhoneIPhoneThe iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
management - Disk imaging
- Power managementPower managementPower management is a feature of some electrical appliances, especially copiers, computers and computer peripherals such as monitors and printers, that turns off the power or switches the system to a low-power state when inactive. In computing this is known as PC power management and is built...
- Package building (see LANrev InstallEaseLANrev InstallEaseAbsolute Manage InstallEase is a software utility from LANrev LP for creating installers and uninstallers for Mac OS X. Its purpose is to allow software developers and IT administrators to create their own installers and uninstallers to deploy files, and software with minimal end-user interaction...
) - Role-based administration
- Security configuration for FDCCFederal Desktop Core ConfigurationThe Federal Desktop Core Configuration is a list of security settings recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for general-purpose microcomputers that are connected directly to the network of a United States government agency....
School webcam controversy
In the 2010 Robbins v. Lower Merion School District case, plaintiffs charged two suburban Philadelphia high schools secretly spied on students by surreptitiously and remotely activating webcams embedded in school-issued laptops the students were using at home, and therefore infringed on their privacy rights. The schools admitted to secretly snapping over 66,000 webshots and screenshots, including webcam shots of students in their bedrooms.LANrev software was used in the Lower Merion school district's
Lower Merion School District
Lower Merion School District, or LMSD, is a public school district located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The school district includes residents of both Lower Merion Township and the Borough of Narberth. Established in 1836, LMSD is one of the oldest districts in Pennsylvania...
student laptop program, overseen by network technician Michael Perbix. In February 2010, Perbix and other administrators in the district were accused of using the software to take undisclosed and unauthorized photographs of students through the webcams on their Macintosh laptops. The lawsuit was brought by the parents of 15-year-old sophomore, Blake Robbins, who was allegedly accused of illicit behavior seen through his computer's webcam of him in his bedroom. The photographs, taken from a laptop that was reportedly not stolen, were then allegedly used as evidence in a disciplinary action. The FBI investigated the incident, and a Philadelphia federal judge intervened to sort out issues relating to the lawsuit.
Perbix had previously praised Theft Track, the name of the feature that lets administrators remotely photograph potential thieves if a computer is reported stolen, noting in a Youtube video he produced that:
It’s an excellent feature. Yes, we have used it, and yes, it has gleaned some results for us. But it, in and of itself, is just a fantastic feature for trying to—especially when you’re in a school environment and you have a lot of laptops and you’re worried about, you know, laptops getting up and missing. I’ve actually had some laptops we thought were stolen which actually were still in a classroom, because they were misplaced, and by the time we found out they were back, I had to turn the tracking off. And I had, you know, a good twenty snapshots of the teacher and students using the machines in the classroom.
LANrev's new owner, Absolute Software staunchly denounced the use of their software for any illegal purpose, emphasizing that theft recovery should be left to law enforcement professionals. They further denied any knowledge of or complicity in either Perbix's or the school district's actions. Absolute stated that the next update of LANrev, which would ship in the next several weeks, would permanently disable Theft Track.
Partners
- Enterprise Desktop AllianceEnterprise Desktop AllianceThe Enterprise Desktop Alliance is a consortium of enterprise software vendors, engaged in the promotion of wider usage of Macs in Windows-dominant environments...
- Group LogicGroup Logic, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Arlington, VA, USA, is an enterprise software company that develops, sells and supports software for moving and storing data including mobilEcho, , MassTransit and ExtremeZ-IP...
- IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
- Parallels, Inc.Parallels, Inc.Parallels, Inc. is a privately held virtualization technology company with offices in the USA, Germany, UK, France, Japan, China, Russia and Ukraine. Parallels' US offices are in Renton, WA.The company has more than 700 employees as of 2010....
- Web Help DeskWeb Help DeskWeb Help Desk is a web-based, help desk software used for tracking support requests for enterprises and educational institutions. While primarily used by Information Technology departments, the software is utilized in other support environments...
- Group Logic
- Microsoft System Center Alliance
- LiveTime CMDB