Systems Management
Your Remaining Questions: Version 5.0 Webinar
Matt WielandTopics: Systems Management
Hi everyone! Thanks for your attendance at the Recast 5.0 webinar. We had so many questions during the webinar that we weren’t able to get to all of them. In the webinar we talked about some new features within the Recast Management Server, Right Click Tools, Privilege Manager, and Application Manager. Our Solution Engineering duo Courtney Baty and Marty Miller have answered the remaining questions below.
If you have additional questions, book a call with our team to learn more about the products and their specific capabilities. If you’re already a customer, your Customer Success Manager is happy to assist you.
Right Click Tools and Recast Management Server Questions
We had trouble installing a previous beta version of 5.0 in our environment. Have there been updates to the product since then?
Going forward for a few months post 5.0 release, we plan to release new versions with bug fixes every two weeks. So there has already been one update since you tried it, and there will be more coming soon!
Would it be beneficial to configure Recast Agent Gateways on each internal distribution point?
It can be installed on any distribution point but installing it on multiple distribution points wouldn’t give it any additional benefits that any other server with IIS install on it would give.
Can the AD clean up now work for an untrusted Domain?
Yes. It needs some extra configuration using a Recast Proxy and/or Recast Agent, but yes.
Does this new version now require the deployment of an agent to all of my endpoints?
It is required for Endpoint Insights and Privilege Manager. It is not required for Shift Left or Application Manager. While the Recast Agent is not a requirement for running Right Click Tools, it does provide many benefits including the ability to send actions over the CMG or Recast Agent Gateway, as well as managing devices that are in untrusted domains or workgroups.
You showed an AD cleanup tool. I’m wondering if you have a tool that integrates with AAD and compares objects between on-prem AD and AAD? Thinking of the future, are there any plans for “Right-click” type options for Intune managed clients that are AzureAD only without ConfigMgr client? Example: a “Recast Browser extension” or similar.
Our current roadmap for 2023 includes improving actions on Co-Managed devices, as well as beginning work on an Intune enabled solution. If you have specific features you think would benefit your organization, please feel free to submit them at https://ideas.recastsoftware.com/
What happens if you have a computer that has a bad MECM client? Will it still work outside of MECM?
Most of our tools will still work. However, tools that are ConfigMgr related might not work with a broken client.
Privilege Manager Questions
Is the “Reason” for elevation logged with what was elevated and by who, etc?
Yes. The logs report the reason and the user account that ran it.
How do we keep the users from only using it when we want them to use it?
You can require them to message or call the helpdesk to get a code, or if you have something else in mind and want more granular options, you can create a feature request at https://ideas.recastsoftware.com
Would the Recast PAM override the Group Policies for the prompt that allows you to paste into the UAC prompt or disable the UAC prompt from showing up on the Secure Desktop?
It would not override Group Policy for either of those scenarios.
Is Privilege Manager licensed separately from Right Click Tools or is it an add-on SKU? For example, if we were to want to use it on single user systems, but not lab/multi-user systems, can our license numbers differ between the two products?
Privilege Manager is a separately licensed product and can have a different number of licensed devices.
What does the Scopes area do in version 5.0? It seems like the Service Connection area has replaced that function and nothing actually goes there.
Most of the information that was part of scopes in version 4.x has been moved to the Service Connections tab. However, the scope section still functions similarly when permissions or a route is scoped to a certain device. In that case a new scope will be created and can be viewed on that tab.
So giving a user the activation code is the same as giving them a LAPS password i.e. they can just install anything and make system changes? Or is there a way to limit what a user can do as far as installation or changes to a system with the admin codes?
Activation codes allow users to activate a temporary local user account on their computers for a specified duration. Giving the user the LAPS password does not have a limited duration unless you are managing it with a third-party tool to reset the LAPS Password. Privilege Manager codes are created by service desk personnel and the activation code itself will be entered to the Privilege Manager Client by the user requesting the temporary local user account. Currently there is no way to limit what process or application Privilege Manager can be used on.
Can the local account and password be disabled and only leave the Domain account?
Without some additional Windows trickery, the built-in Administrator account can’t be deleted. However, we recommend that you disable the account and have Privilege Manager create a randomized password.
Is it possible to allow for automatic elevation for specific processes or users?
This feature is being investigated for future addition to Privilege Manager. If you would like to add a feature request, those can be made at https://ideas.recastsoftware.com
Application Manager Questions
Can you add your own custom updates for 3rd-party updates that are not on the list? Local applications for example?
Yes, Application Manager does allow for the addition of your own custom software. You add it through the web interface. It is a requirement that the installer you upload is able to run silently. Once you have added the application, you can use the Deployment Processes that you have already created to deploy your custom application.
How big is your catalog for 3rd party patching and is the catalog list publicly available to view without owning the product?
The list of applications is located here: https://docs.recastsoftware.com/help/application-manager-supported-applications. We are committed to adding 20-25 applications a month going forward, so if you don’t see an application that you need on the list please check back often to see if we’ve added it.
How does Application Manager work with Task Sequences?
Application Manager can be configured to update the Applications in your Task Sequences. More information can be found here: https://docs.recastsoftware.com/help/application-manager-mecm-task-sequence-automatic-update-configuration
If you purchase Application Manager, will the license be good for both ConfigMgr and Intune or do you have to pay for them separately?
Currently the license is usable for both ConfigMgr and Intune. You would not need to pay twice to cover both ConfigMgr and Intune.
Some 3rd party apps cannot be installed if they are already running. Do you have something to notify the end user of this type of situation?
In the ConfigMgr version you can specify the application that needs to be closed in order for the installation to succeed. In the Intune version you can configure a snooze period so the user can sleep the installation until they can find the time to install. In this situation, you can limit the amount of time and number of times a user can sleep the notification.
Does Application Manager work with Android or iOS at all?
It does not, but this could be a good feature request (and MacOS as well) https://ideas.recastsoftware.com
How does Application Manager get its 3rd-party app meta data or sources?
Application Manager 3rd party applications are downloaded and prepared by Recast to be delivered to your environment. You can configure which parts of the metadata you would like to use to name your application in your ConfigMgr or Intune environments.
Is there a trial of Application Manager?
Yes! Please reach out to us and we can help you test out Application Manager in the environment of your choice.
Reach out to Learn More
Again, if you have any follow up questions, book a call with our team and we can answer your specific questions about Application Manager, Right Click Tools Enterprise, or our other products. You can also read more about the 5.0 version release on our documentation page.
If you’re already a customer, your Customer Success Manager is happy to assist you.
