Feature set for managing Ubuntu Installations across a large enterprise

Large enterprises with 1000-30,000+ computers need a set of features that makes it easy to deploy, manage, upgrade and update. They want the ability to lock down to a particular set of packages, the ability to push upgrade to all installations incrementally in a deterministic manner, monitor and manage what is installed in the computers.

Some features (in random order)

1. Automatic upgrade to a particular version of selected packages
2. Kickstart new client machine with the appropriate version of Ubuntu (specific to a hardware configuration and role) with all the associated packages selected by the IT department of the company
3. Ability to change configurations and rules (including firewalls et al) centrally and push them to the client machines
4. Monitor and record list of packages installed in a laptop or workstation
5. Antivirus installation and updates (as and when needed !)
6. Stagger the updates and upgrades so that all machines do not suck-in bits at the same time
7. Regulation Compliance features
8. If we can also have the clone-transfer feature [https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+spec/sync-from-old-to-new-computer Sync two (or more) ubuntu installations - data, programs et al] then the refresh of laptops will become an easy task as well

This is another feature set that might hit us Edgy +1. Also I haven’t done any in-depth research to find out what is already available and what are the gaps and overlaps. We should also poll the admins of large enterprises and ask them what revolutionary features they would like to have ...