Truliant Federal Credit Union announced this week they’re had great success using KACE’s KBOX hardware as, well, software.

Truliant has locations in four Southeastern states, and are using KBOX Systems Management Appliances—“help desks in a box”—to perform mass software upgrades, keep track of inventory, and answer questions. About 500 end users are utilizing six different appliances, and each has been designated a specific help-desk purpose. End users can log in tickets for support of Truliant’s devices, which range from PCs to servers to ATMs; one of their support specialists, Jason Allen, says this KBOX network is for everything but their core system, which is controlled by another department.

The KACE solution is different from traditional help desk systems in that it uses hardware for deployment, and each of the boxes are hardened and self-healing, with applications for remote support, asset management, and other functions. KACE executives say they’ve had great success implementing software systems via hardware packages, and Allen said that once the support team learned to properly use the KBOX system, it was smooth sailing.

Perhaps more importantly, KACE’s package cost Truliant about $20,000 less than their previous help desk software; it’s also saving staff hours, which is an indirect savings. KACE’s VP Marketing, Wynn White, says he expects this system will have even greater success when enterprises shift to Windows 7.

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