Systems Management Server 2003 is the formal name for the next version of SMS. The former SMS 2.0 had gone by the codename ‘Topaz’. Microsoft stated that the SMS 2003 would be available for beta testing this summer.

SMS is Microsoft’s software for change and configuration management for Windows-based desktop and server systems. It runs on top of Windows NT or Windows 2000 and requires SQL Server for the primary site server.

The main focus with SMS 2003 will be support for mobility through the laptop and non-PC Windows-based device features. “With today’s increasingly mobile work force, the use of handheld devices and laptops poses a management challenge for customers that extends beyond the desktop…….Management of the enterprise, from devices to the data centre, becomes broader, deeper and more effective with Systems Management Server 2003 and its mobile support capabilities”.