Date:       September 14, 2023

To:           Symantec IT Management Suite Customers

From:      The Symantec Endpoint Management Product Team

Subject:  General Availability Announcement for IT Management Suite 8.7.1

On behalf of Broadcom, we appreciate your business and the opportunity to provide you with high-quality, innovative software and services.  As part of our ongoing commitment to customer success, we regularly release updated versions of our products. Today, we are pleased to announce that IT Management Suite 8.7.1 is now available. 

Highlights of the Symantec IT Management Suite 8.7.1 release include: 

• Deployment
• Support for downloading Windows installation package via HTTP/HTTPs connection when performing a scripted O/S installation, enabling scripted O/S installations to be performed remotely using Cloud Enabled Management
• Support for performing offline domain joins, enabling devices provisioned remotely using Cloud Enabled Management to be joined to a domain
• Documented workaround to enable devices to use Wi-Fi connection when connecting from pre-boot environment, enabling the imaging of devices in cases where an ethernet connection is not available
• Support for HTTP Boot, enabling devices that support this protocol to be provisioned in a quicker, more stable manner
• Support for option-82 in DHCP offers, enabling deployment to be performed when hardware, such as Cisco ACI Fabric, will drop responses from the PXE server that lack option-82 data
• Ability to instantaneously update preboot environment on Net Boot servers, even in cases such servers have defined maintenance windows

• Patch Management
  • Ability to pause system restart to notify user in cases where no user is logged into the system at the time of the restart

• Patch Management / Software Management
  • Ability to prevent packages from being downloaded to devices over a metered (4G/5G) connection (also applies to Software Management)

• Software Management
  • Ability to automatically deleted all tasks, policies, and other dependencies related to a software resource, enabling the software resource and associated software packages to be deleted, to free up disk space on the Notification Server
  • Ability to detect when the execution of a Managed Delivery policy has been halted because of a pending restart or user log off associated with a previously executed Managed Delivery policy
  • Ability to consolidate previously detected software resources into a single software resource for management purposes by applying “Known As” rules to existing software resources
  • Ability to quickly and easily identify which Managed Software Delivery policies on a list have been published to the Software Portal
  • Ability to quickly and easily identify which Managed Software Delivery policies displayed in the Software Releases view are still active

• Software Management / Inventory
  • Improved detection of Windows Store APPX apps

• Inventory
  • Option to re-send standalone inventory data to Notification Server in cases where it is not received rather than waiting for next inventory scan for data to be sent

• Symantec Management Agent
  • Support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 and Oracle Linux 9.2
  • Support for TLS 1.3 for SSL connections
  • New reports to identify situations in which
    • Version of the Symantec Management Agent installed on a device is not consistent with the version of the Notification Server to which it is reporting
    • Version of a plug-in to the Symantec Management Agent installed on a device is not consistent with the version of the agent installed on the device
  • Ability to prevent end users lacking administrator privileges from updating configuration on device while still enabling them to initiate the sending of basic inventory data to the Notification Server, or vice-versa

• Symantec Management Platform
  • New Core Performance dashboard that provides overview of system load, event queue status and processing history that can be used to identify potential bottlenecks and make adjustments to address the associated underlying issues
  • Ability to prevent less experienced ITMS users lacking Symantec Administrator privileges from creating repeat tasks, which could be used execute a task resulting in unintended consequences multiple times in quick succession
  • Ability to prevent less experienced ITMS users lacking Symantec Administrator privileges from creating shared schedules, which could be used to execute a task resulting in unintended consequences multiple times in quick succession
  • Ability to see when (and by whom) reports, filters and targets were last modified
  • Ability to see when (and by whom) changes were made to Notification Server core settings
  • New Server Settings Audit report that includes granular information regarding changes made by individual users
  • Ability to filter the results of reports run from within an automation policy
  • Update to IT Analytics so that it is compatible with browsers such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, as well as SQL Server 2022
  • Ability for Run scripts to use non-native versions of PowerShell

Please see the ITMS 8.7.1 Release Notes for more information.

ITMS 8.7.1 can be downloaded from the Broadcom Support Download Center.

If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact Broadcom Customer Care online or use the Customer Care web form: Customer Care web form .  You can also call Broadcom Customer Care at +1-800-225-5224 in North America or see this page for the local number in your country. 

Your success is very important to us, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership with you.  Thank you again for your business.