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Microsoft Buys Out Group Policy Tool Vendor

Microsoft announced it has acquired DesktopStandard Corp., a smaller firm that develops Group Policy-based enterprise desktop management products.

The acquisition of the Portsmouth, N.H. firm brings the smaller company’s GPOVault, PolicyMaker Standard Edition, Registry Extension, Software Update and Share Manager products directly into the Microsoft fold.

DesktopStandard’s tools are designed to integrate with and extend Microsoft’s Group Policy Management Console. Microsoft’s aim in buying out DesktopStandard is “to help customers leverage the value of policy-based management and maximize the value of their investments in Active Directory,” according to a Microsoft press release.

All products will continue to be available while DesktopStandard is being assimilated into the larger company. However, Microsoft did not purchase PolicyMaker Application Security, which will be exclusively available from BeyondTrust Corp., formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of DesktopStandard.

John Moyer, DesktopStandard’s CEO and cofounder will become CEO of BeyondTrust. Meanwhile, DesktopStandard’s CTO and cofounder Eric Voskuil will join Microsoft’s Windows Enterprise Management Division as a software architect.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.

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