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HEAT LANrev

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 71.224.206.164 (talk) at 17:58, 25 February 2010 (citation needed tag/ to clear up any possible pr issues, please cite a press release/article). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Developer(s)Absolute Software
Stable release
5.2.2 / November 10, 2009 (2009-11-10)
Operating systemWindows, Mac OS X
TypeNetwork management, Systems management, IT automation, Software Asset Management
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.absolute.com

LANrev is a systems lifecycle management software for system administrators which automates and accelerates IT administration tasks.[1] The product is composed of a server and client ("agent") software that runs on Windows and Mac OS X.[2]

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.[3] LANrev was rebranded as Absolute Asset Management in January 2010.[citation needed]

Features

LANrev's features include:

Lower Merion public school webcam scandal

LANrev software was used in the Lower Merion school district's student laptop program, overseen by IT director Michael Perbix.[4] In February of 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.[5] A lawsuit was brought by the Michael and Holly Robbins, parents of 15 year-old sophomore, Blake Robbins, who was allegedly accused of illicit behavior seen through his computer's webcam. The photographs, taken in laptops that were reportedly not stolen, were then allegedly used as evidence in a disciplinary action.[6] The FBI stated that they would be closely investigating the incident, and a Philadelphia federal judge intervened to sort out issues relating to the lawsuit.[7][8]

Perbix had previously praised Theft Track, the name of the feature that lets administrators remotely photographs 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.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11]

Partners

References

  1. ^ Faas, Ryan (January 9, 2009). "The Top Five Solutions for Mac/Windows Client Deployment". InformIT. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
  2. ^ Best, Brian (2008). "Managing Your Loadset, Post-Deploy". MacTech. Vol. 24, no. 1. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
  3. ^ "Absolute Software Acquires LANrev product suite from Pole Position Software" (Press release). Absolute Software. December 3, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  4. ^ http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/190101/school_district_faces_lawsuit_over_webcam_spying_claims.html
  5. ^ http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20100222_Laptop_camera_snapped_away_in_one_classroom.html
  6. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/18/national/main6220751.shtml?tag=leftCol;post-1534
  7. ^ http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/privacy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=223100403
  8. ^ http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/85021742.html
  9. ^ http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/24/headlines/fbi_us_attorney_probing_penn_school_districts_computer_spying
  10. ^ http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9160278/Software_maker_blasts_vigilantism_in_Pa._school_spying_case?taxonomyId=12
  11. ^ http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/itdojo/?p=1559
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