Creation of the UIU began in late 2003 based on the needs of the participants in our Symantec Ghost courses. The most common question our instructors heard was, "How can I create a single image that works on all my PCs?" Unfortunately, the only method at the time was to use Microsoft's Sysprep application coupled with a tremendous amount of time and effort. In an effort to include all their hardware components, we had customers whose Sysprep answer files exceeded 30 pages. There had to be a better way.
The first version of the Universal Imaging Utility was released in early 2004. With the addition of Binary Research International (the people who brought you Ghost) as the distributor of the UIU, an exciting buzz developed quickly. In late 2004, one of the original Ghost developers was added to the team, and UIU 2.0 was released in April 2005. Version 2.0 included options and features our customers requested, and improved the efficiency and functionality tremendously.
Version 3.0 of the UIU was released in July, 2006, and included an improved method for storing and downloading drivers, as well as a whole new user interface. As part of our dedication to our customers and the Universal Imaging Utility, both our development and support teams grew again as the UIU customer base continued to expand across the globe.
UIU Version 3.5, released in July, 2007, included Vista compatibility as well as improved integration of High Definition Audio devices.
Version 4.0 was released in January, 2009 with significant upgrades. A pre-deployment Discovery Tool and advanced MIMIC now allow our customers to more accurately assess the specifics of their environment increasing the efficiency of the UIU deployment process. Also, a new GUI was created for easier, more navigable interaction. In addition, it is now possible to select only the drivers necessary for each specific platform, reducing download time.
Version 4.5 was released in December of 2009 with full compatibility with Windows 7 as well as full support for Mac Intel-based hardware. Additional new features also included an enhance unsigned drivers signing capability, new OS agnostic UIU Discovery Tool which is able to scan all existing hardware to determine applicable drivers for appropriate OSs, particularly to aid in migration to Windows 7.
Version 4.6 was released in June 2010 with full support and compatibility for Windows 7 64-bit. With organizations holding off on hardware upgrades until they migrated to Windows 7, the timeliness of this release will aid in making the change to Win 7 and 64-bit even easier. Clients can create a new Win 7 64-bit image that will work on every 64-bit ready machine in their environment in only 10 minutes.
Version 4.7 continues to make the time and effort spent deploying images more efficient and cost-effective.
The UIU is currently deployed to over 3 million PCs worldwide and remains the only software application able to create ONE hardware independent hard drive image that can easily be deployed to any laptop or desktop regardless of manufacturer.
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Big Bang LLC got its start as a small consulting company called ACM Consulting in 1998. It quickly grew into Big Bang Training, and eventually, Big Bang LLC. The early roots of the company included ISO 9000 quality systems training and consulting as well as application development for small businesses. In 2001, ACM Consulting contracted with Binary Research Int'l (BRI) to provide Symantec Ghost training and consulting to the customers of BRI, and through BRI, customers of Symantec.
In 2002, Ghost training and consulting became the primary focus of ACM Consulting. Independent development of courseware followed shortly thereafter with a subsequent name change to Big Bang Training. In 2004, the "Training" was dropped from the name as the Universal Imaging Utility was released, and Big Bang LLC became both a training/consulting company as well as a software development company.
Also in 2004, the relationship with Binary Research International expanded, as BRI was granted exclusive world-wide distribution rights to the UIU. That relationship continued to grow in 2005 as BRI took over sales for Big Bang LLC, including the Symantec Ghost training and consulting side of the business, allowing Big Bang to focus solely on development, support and training.
In 2010, Big Bang opened their distribution channel for the first time since the release of the UIU. To effectively broaden the reach of the UIU, Big Bang partnered with a number of valued resellers around the globe.
In 2011, Big Bang parted ways with Binary Research International in order to reach previously untouched markets, and particularly to connect more directly with their ever-growing customer base. The UIU is available directly through Big Bang as well as select UIU Partners.
Visit Big Bang LLC online for more information at www.bigbangllc.com
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