Explains how Microsoft SUS and GFI LANguard N.S.S. together provide a cost-effective patch management solution

London, UK, 23 April 2003 – GFI, global provider of network security products for Windows-based networks, has released a white paper to help network administrators deal with the pressing problem of patch management in an efficient and highly cost-effective way. The document can be downloaded at http://www.gfi.com/whitepapers/patch-management.pdf.

The need for patch management
The white paper describes patch management as an essential network administration task that involves scanning machines on the network for missing patches and deploying those patches as soon as they become available. It explains that failure to do so makes a network doubly vulnerable, because not only does the vulnerability exist, but once it has been publicized, it is also more likely to be exploited by malicious users, hackers and virus writers. Yet the task of keeping the network up-to-date with the latest patches is arduous – unless a patch management tool is deployed to automate the process.

"The SQL Slammer worm that emerged in January this year and spread by exploiting known vulnerabilities in unpatched Microsoft SQL 2000 servers was yet another reminder that countless network administrators fail to apply the right patches. Until recently, the main reason for this was because installing patches was a cumbersome and daunting job. Yet, as our new white paper shows, this need no longer be the case thanks to the advent of sophisticated patch management tools such as GFI LANguard Network Security Scanner," said Nick Galea, GFI CEO.

A powerful, cost-effective solution to patch management
The white paper focuses on the powerful and flexible patch management solution provided by GFI LANguard N.S.S. in conjunction with Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS), which is available for free. This combined solution can deploy patches and service packs remotely for all Windows operating systems and major Microsoft applications, such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft ISA Server. GFI LANguard N.S.S. also offers installed patch checking for Internet Explorer and IIS.

This combined solution is also highly cost-effective, offering all the features found in more expensive patch management solutions at a fraction of the price. Most patch management solutions cost about US$1,500 for a 100-machine license and US$8,000 and more for a 500-machine license. Microsoft SUS is free and pricing for GFI LANguard N.S.S. licenses starts from as little as $249 for 50 IPs.

As the paper shows, GFI LANguard N.S.S.’s ability to provide security scanning as well as complete patch management results in a more intuitive process that is easier for administrators to manage. More information is provided in the new white paper, which may be viewed at http://www.gfi.com/whitepapers/patch-management.pdf.