The information we collect from you will be used by Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates to enable the features you are using and provide the service(s) or carry out the transaction(s) you have requested or authorized. It may also be used to analyze and improve Microsoft products and services.

We may send certain mandatory service communications such as welcome letters, billing reminders, information on technical service issues, and security announcements. Some Microsoft services may send periodic member letters that are considered part of the service. We may occasionally request your feedback, invite you to participate in surveys, or send you promotional mailings to inform you of other products or services available from Microsoft and its affiliates.

In order to offer you a more consistent and personalized experience in your interactions with Microsoft, information collected through one Microsoft service may be combined with information obtained through other Microsoft services. We may also supplement the information we collect with information obtained from other companies. For example, we may use services from other companies that enable us to derive a general geographic area based on your IP address in order to customize certain services to your geographic area.

Except as described in the privacy topics for specific Configuration Manager 2007 features, personal information you provide will not be transferred to third parties without your consent. We occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, such as packaging, sending and delivering purchases and other mailings, answering customer questions about products or services, processing event registration, or performing statistical analysis of our services. We will only provide those companies the personal information they need to deliver the service, and they are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.

Microsoft may access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the services; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers, or the public.

Information that is collected by or sent to Microsoft by Configuration Manager 2007 may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries, or service providers maintain facilities. Microsoft abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union.

When you use software with Internet-enabled features, information about your computer ("standard computer information") is sent to the Web sites you visit and online services you use. Microsoft uses standard computer information to provide you Internet-enabled services, to help improve our products and services, and for statistical analysis. Standard computer information typically includes information such as your IP address, operating system version, browser version, and regional and language settings. In some cases, standard computer information may also include hardware ID, which indicates the device manufacturer, device name, and version. If a particular feature or service sends information to Microsoft, standard computer information will be sent as well. 

The privacy details for each Configuration Manager 2007 feature, software or service listed in this privacy statement describe what additional information is collected and how it is used.

Microsoft is committed to helping protect the security of your information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, we store the information you provide on computer systems with limited access, which are located in controlled facilities.

We will occasionally update this privacy statement to reflect changes in our products, services, and customer feedback. When we post changes, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of this statement. If there are material changes to this statement or in how Microsoft will use your personal information, we will notify you either by posting a notice of such changes prior to implementing the change or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to periodically review this statement in the online version of this topic to be informed about how Microsoft is protecting your information.

Microsoft welcomes your comments regarding this privacy statement. If you have questions about this statement or believe that we have not adhered to it, please contact us here.

While network management products let you effectively manage large numbers of clients, you must also be aware of ways that this software could impact the privacy of users in your organization. Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 includes many tools to gather data and monitor client computers, some of which could raise privacy concerns. For example, the following features might have potential privacy considerations:

• The Configuration Manager console
  
  
• Discovery
  
  
• Inventory
  
  
• Software distribution
  
  
• Software updates
  
  
• Software metering
  
  
• Mobile device management
  
  
• Operating system deployment
  
  
• Desired configuration management
  
  
• Remote tools
  
  

These features have a section in this guide with information about what type of information is collected, how it is transferred, how it is stored, and how long it is retained.

Important

When you deploy the Configuration Manager 2007 client, you enable client agents so that you can use Configuration Manager 2007 features. The settings you use to configure the features apply to all clients in the site, regardless of whether they are directly connected to the corporate network, connected through a remote session, or connected to the Internet but assigned to the site. Client information is stored in the database and is not sent back to Microsoft. Before configuring the Configuration Manager 2007 client, consider your privacy requirements.

Concepts