Challenges

You mean I have to maintain workstations where users have root and can install and remove random software?
Why maintain servers and workstations separately?
But how do I keep all this in sync when all the machines don't even have the same list of software installed?
How do I even update software? How about conf files?
Do I need to change the install each time I make changes to the installed base?
How about machines that were loaded before I changed the install but after I synced the change to the installed base?

You mean I have to maintain workstations where users have root and can install and remove random software?