London, UK, 27 March 2003 - GFI today announced the release of GFI LANguard Network Security Scanner (N.S.S.) 3.2, which offers complete patch management. GFI LANguard N.S.S. can now deploy patches and service packs remotely for all major Microsoft applications, such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft ISA Server. It also offers improved installed patch checking for Internet Explorer and IIS.

"GFI LANguard N.S.S. 3.2 offers total patch management at a fraction of the cost of other patch management solutions," said Nick Galea, GFI CEO. "The product's ability to deploy operating system service packs, as well as application patches and service packs, makes it the perfect companion to Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS). Together they offer greater functionality and flexibility than existing patch management software at a much better price."

Affordable patch management
GFI LANguard N.S.S. in combination with Microsoft SUS offers all the features found in more expensive patch management solutions at a minimal cost. Most patch management solutions range from US$1,500 for a 100-machine license to US$8,000 and more for a 500-machine license. The combined solution of GFI LANguard N.S.S. and Microsoft SUS is much more cost-effective: Microsoft SUS is free and pricing for GFI LANguard N.S.S. licenses starts from as little as $249 for 50 IPs.

Better patch management
Microsoft SUS is a flexible and powerful patch management solution for all Windows operating systems (Windows 2000, XP, .NET, IIS, IE, Windows Media). It outperforms other patch management solutions but is limited in that it cannot deploy service packs (SPs), NT patches and application patches/SPs such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange Server or third party software. It is also relatively weak in reporting. GFI LANguard N.S.S. 3.2 overcomes these shortcomings by enabling the deployment of these SPs and patches, and offering an improved scanning interface that can check whether all patches have been installed correctly.

About GFI LANguard N.S.S.
GFI LANguard N.S.S. checks a network for all potential methods that a hacker might use to attack it. By analyzing the operating system and the applications running on that network machines, GFI LANguard N.S.S. determines all the possible security holes. In other words, it plays the devil's advocate, and alerts the administrator to weaknesses before a hacker can find them, enabling the organization to deal with the issues before a hacker exploits them.

Pricing and availability
GFI LANguard N.S.S. 3.2 is available from distributors around the world or online at the GFI site. A license for unlimited IPs costs is US$895. A free upgrade is available for all GFI LANguard N.S.S. 3.0 and 3.1 users. For more information and to download the product, visit http://www.gfi.com/lannetscan/.