If you follow the workings of the DTMF--The Distributed Management Task Force, which is responsible for developing management standards and promoting interoperability for enterprise and Internet environments, you'll want to know about the debut of the latest version of the DASH (Desktop and Mobile Architecture for System Hardware) standard. DASH 1.1 tightens security and protocol requirements for IT deployments.

Among the companies supporting this standard are Broadcom, Dell, HP, IBM, and Microsoft. DASH 1.1 adds functionality including features allowing for provisioning, remediation, and additional inventory and component management. It addresses requirements for remote manageability.

For more on DASH 1.1 see http://www.dmtf.org/standards/mgmt/dash/