Large corporations as well as small businesses have begun to turn to automated patch management software for security and updates. The average user has become used to the security updates and fixes and businesses have much more to secure against. The frequent patches and additions to the Windows operating system has accustomed the consumer to the need for fixes on a regular basis.
Most computer owners will permit windows to manage, download and update patches automatically, as they feel it is important. However that is a limited operating patch program and does not address all the needs of a business in terms of security updates and fixes. A business has much more at stake and usually many more potentially vulnerable programs than a normal computer. Prior to release of the new patch update programs businesses could spend a lot in employee labor ensuring that all programs were upgraded and updated.
However today there are multiple choices in programs for managing updates and patches automatically or semi automatically. Security of the company assets is a primary source of concern for many businesses and enabling the latest security fixes provides enhanced security and functionality to the programs. Although these patches are essential they can be time consuming in larger operations if patch software management is not used.
These programs usually have a special console and it may well be located on a single master machine on the network. The master console can determine which programs should be patched and which should be overlooked. The user can also determine from which website a patch should be downloaded.
A company with multiple machines may well have different purposes for each one and different programs installed as well. In that case the management software will scan each machine separately and apply the patches or fixes. Software to manage patches will usually intelligently apply only those patches necessary for the programs present on the machine.
One very common type of management program for patches is that of the agent based software. This solution employs an agent, or small program on each machine. The agent scans the machine and makes the necessary changes. When the changes and scan are complete the program reports the results to a central administrative machine.
Other types of management programs use a central machine as the controller. This central computer with a program on it scans each of the machines in the system applies the necessary system changes on the targeted computers in the network. This is known as agentless management in that the only requirement for the other machines is that they be connected to the network, instead of the internet as is required for agent based solutions. The agentless type of management software requires more direct supervision than the programs which reside on individual machines.
These alternatives have cut the cost of maintaining some security aspects of a large network. It has become popular even among home users. However, a business should consider their available bandwidth, work force, and corporate needs before deciding upon particular management program, since the differences are so striking.
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