OptiTune v5.6 Released, adds Search, Computer Metadata, and more

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 5.6
OptiTune V5.6 adds the following new features and updates:

  • Search – You can now search for computers in OptiTune, by name, user, domain, asset tag, manufacturer, processor, and many other fields.  To do so, visit “Computers” > “Search”.
  • Computer Metadata – Store your own custom data fields with each computer in OptiTune.  Metadata means “data about data”, and many OptiTune customers have asked to be able to store their own data fields with each computer.  The list of data fields can be fully customized from “Server Settings” > “Advanced Settings” > “Computer Metadata”.  Or, you can also load a list of default fields. Many users will choose to store data such as Asset Tags, Serial Numbers, Owner Information, Notes, categories (like a Support Level/Priority), or Warranty Expiration date.  This list of fields can all be customized by choosing from the following types of fields to store with each computer:
    • Text (short or long, with min/max length)
    • Numbers (integers, floating point, with allowable ranges)
    • Dates
    • Checkboxes (select zero or more named values)
    • Dropdown (select one of several named values)
  • User Interface Refinements – Also included are several user interface improvements in OptiTune:
    • All lists of computers will now show each computer’s connection status, so you can see quickly which computers have an active connection to the OptiTune management server
    • When you choose a custom page size for any listing, this page size will be saved and restored when you visit the page later on.  To turn this off, visit your account preferences, and uncheck “Save Page Size”.
    • The computer details page was reworked to show more information in tabs, along with the new Computer Metadata section.
    • The computer details page now includes links for quickly viewing the computer’s Windows Update History, as well as all detected Threats on the computer.
    • The event sources and event categories pages have also been updated to allow for bulk editing of event sources for alerting (e.g. disable/enable multiple events at once).

OptiTune v5.5 Released, adds Monthly Billing

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 5.5
OptiTune V5.5 adds the following new features and updates:

  • Monthly Billing – You can now pay for OptiTune licenses at the end of each month, based on your daily license usage.  You can also still buy OptiTune licenses for 1 year to get a discount.  To setup Monthly Billing, register for a billing account at https://www.bravurasoftware.com/billing/.  Then, add your “Billing Token” to your account in OptiTune, under “Server Settings” > “Billing”.  Your stored credit card will now be billed at the end of each month for your actual license usage.
  • Self Hosted Monthly Billing – Self hosted versions of the OptiTune management server can now also use monthly billing to pay for licenses.  The process of setting this up is the same for the cloud hosted version of OptiTune, described above.


OptiTune v5.2 Released, adds File Transfer tool and refined Remote Assistance, other fixes

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 5.2

OptiTune V5.2 adds the following new features and updates:

  • File Transfer – Use the File Transfer tool to manually transfer files between your IT administrator’s computer, and any managed computer.  Optionally, notify the end user when the IT administrator initiates a file transfer session.  This new tool is available on the Computer Details page, and internally uses the Remote Connect technology built into OptiTune.
  • Windows Update Group Policy Settings – Control the Windows Automatic Update agent (WUA) built into windows through settings defined in OptiTune.  Manage settings for Windows 10’s “Delivery Optimization” P2P service, to control how Windows 10 updates are delivered.
  • Agent Polling Refinements – The OptiTune agent polls the management server at predefined intervals, based on the administrator’s activity level and usage of the management server.  These polling times have decreased for better responsiveness.
  • Remote Assistance Improvements – The remote assistance feature in OptiTune now uses the same technology as Remote Connect, so when a user creates a Remote Assistance request, the administrator can connect to the computer even if the request has been closed by the end user, and will be able to see any escalation prompts/logon screen, as was always the case with Remote Connect.

OptiTune v5.1 Released, adds realtime Task Manager and System Services tools

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 5.1

OptiTune V5.1 adds the following new features and updates:

  • Remote Task Manager – View all running processes on a remote computer, end processes, change process priorities, and more.  Also, view live graphs of CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network usage, in a similar fashion to the task manager built into windows.  The graphs are updated in realtime, giving you a better handle on any performance problems for a server or client computer.
  • Remote System Services – Manage all windows system services from this tool.  Start, Stop, Pause, and Resume any system service, or change the startup type (Manual, Disabled, Automatic, etc…).  View which services are running, and which have stopped, and more.
  • Bug fixes, Performance Improvements

OptiTune v5.0 Released, adds Remote Command Prompt for quicker administration

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 5.0

OptiTune V5.0 adds the following new features and updates:

  • Remote Command Prompt – Have you ever wanted to start a command prompt on a managed computer right from your web browser?  OptiTune now lets you do so, so you can quickly peform simple administrative tasks using the windows command prompt you already know.  Go to the computer details page, and click on “Command Prompt” to start the web based command prompt, with a real time, live connection to any computer managed through OptiTune.
  • Remote Access Privacy Settings – New settings have been added in “Remote Support” > “Settings” to allow you to enable/disable the Remote Connect functionality for any computer, as well as the real time tools such as the new Command Prompt.  You can also specify a notification message, to let your end users know when you have connected and are performing administrative work on their computer.
  • Bug fixes, Performance Improvements – We’ve added several performance improvements to the OptiTune Agent, so configuration changes you make in the web based console will take hold more quickly.

OptiTune v4.9 Released, adds Prepackaged Tasks for rapidly deploying popular applications

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 4.9

OptiTune V4.9 adds the following new features and updates:

  • Prepackaged Tasks – Packaging a single application for deployment can take a significant time investment, from a few hours to a few days.  With prepackaged tasks, you can deploy popular applications almost instantly by importing applications that have been professionally packaged by Bravura Software’s support engineers. 

    To request additional applications, please email us, or visit the support forums.

    Some of the applications available to deploy right away include:

    • Google Chrome (32-bit and 64-bit versions)
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader
    • 7 Zip
    • WinRAR
    • Libre Office

OptiTune v4.8 Released, adds Cloud Storage and CDN distribution of installer packages and other files

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 4.8

OptiTune V4.8 is a major update, and adds the following new features and updates:

  • Cloud Storage – Previously, when creating a new Install Task, the user needed to upload the installation package file (.bvx) to their own local file server, https webserver, or cloud service (Amazon S3, Azure Storage, etc…).  With the new release, each organization in OptiTune is granted a 5 GB storage account and can upload installer packages directly in the OptiTune management website.  Files of up to 16 GB in size are supported.
  • Content Delivery Network (CDN) Delivery – Now, when an installation package is deployed through OptiTune, it will be delivered through a global CDN with over 44 unique geographic locations worldwide.  This allows the fastest possible download speeds for the OptiTune agents to retrieve installation packages and install applications on managed computers.
  • Cloud File Management – From the “Server Settings” > “Cloud Storage” page, a listing of all uploaded files is displayed, along with total storage usage.  The user can upload or delete additional files as long as the storage quota is not exceeded.  Each file can also be downloaded using a unique URL.
  • Cloud Storage Quota – Each organization is granted a 5 GB cloud storage quota, including free/trial accounts.  To request an increase in your organization’s storage quota, please email us at customer_support@bravurasoftware.com.  Additional charges may apply.
  • Installer Task Updates – The install task page was revised with the following changes:
    • Unencrypted .bvx packages – You no longer need to encrypt “.bvx” files when creating an install task, so they can be reused across different organizations in OptiTune.  When creating a “.bvx” file using the Package Wizard, leave the “account certificate” field blank to create an unencrypted package.
    • Unpackaged Installer Support – If the application’s installer is available as a single file, you can upload it directly in the Install Task page, or reference the URL from which the installer is available to save on your storage quota usage.  Both .exe and .msi based installers are supported.
    • Installer Upload – Upload the installer package (.bvx) or file (.exe or .msi) directly in the Install Task page.
  • Script Task Updates – The script task page was revised to allow the user to upload companion package files directly in the page, with the size limit increased from 50MB to 5GB.  Unencrypted .bvx packages are also supported.  Each time a script is executed on a managed computer, the companion package file is downloaded and extracted into the script’s directory before the script is executed.
  • Improved MSI installer support – Some issues in the OptiTune agent were fixed which prevented the direct installation of a 32-bit .msi file on 64-bit systems under some conditions.

OptiTune v4.7.1 Released, adds worldwide relay servers for better Remote Connect performance

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 4.7.1

OptiTune V4.7.1 adds the following new features and updates:

  • Auto Select Relay Server – When you initiate a “Remote Connect” or “Remote Assistance” connection to control a remote computer, a relay server is chosen based on the destination computer’s geographic location (country/region).  You can also choose to manually specify a relay server for a given group of computers.

    There are 11 worldwide datacenters to help reduce connection latency.  They include:

    • USA West (California)
    • USA West 2 (Washington)
    • USA East (Virginia)
    • USA North Central (Illinois)
    • USA South Central (Texas)
    • Canada (Toronto)
    • United Kingdom (London)
    • Western Europe (Amsterdam)
    • Southeast Asia (Singapore)
    • East Asia (Hong Kong)
    • South America (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

OptiTune Version 4.7 Released, adds two factor authentication and auditing

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 4.7.

OptiTune V4.7 adds the following new features and updates:

  • Two Factor Authentication – When logging in, your OptiTune user account can be authenticated by either a password, or a combination of a password or code that is sent by text message to your phone, or email.
  • Auditing – All user actions inside OptiTune are now audited, including the IP Address, web browser, page path, and changes to all configuration data.
  • Performance Improvements – Console page load times have been improved especially for larger organizations with over 3000 computers.
  • SMS Alerts – Configuring SMS alerts no longer requires the mobile phone provider, only the mobile phone number.

OptiTune Version 4.6 Released

We are pleased to announce the release of OptiTune Version 4.6.

OptiTune V4.6 adds the following new features and updates:

  • Account Group Restrictions – OptiTune user accounts can now be restricted to only operate on and see the computers in a specific group.  This is useful for the Managed Service Provider (MSP) scenario where an MSP wants to give each customer read only access to OptiTune, and needs to limit each customer’s user account to only access their computers.  It is also useful for larger companies that have multiple IT administrators in charge of their own areas or regions.
  • Windows 10, Windows Sever 2016 Support – Support was added to the OptiTune agent for detecting Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 when installing applications or running scripts.
  • Performance Improvements – Numerous performance improvements were added to increase the responsiveness of the management console, especially for larger organizations.