Automox vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Automox and Microsoft Windows Server Update Services based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, HCLTech, Kaseya and others in Patch Management.
To learn more, read our detailed Patch Management Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"They've been adding some new features lately, which I'm not nearly as familiar with, but the ability to just deploy patches and exempt certain machines from certain patches is helpful. For instance, for our servers, we may not want to roll out zero-day patches. We are able to exempt those and make sure that they don't get those policies. We've got certain servers that have to run a particular version of Java, and being able to exempt those servers from receiving Java updates is pretty fantastic.""It's easy to deploy agents to endpoints.""Coming from prior solutions that were a lot more effort, Automox's patch management abilities are transformational. When I took over patching at my company, they were using on-premise architecture to patch. As the workforce shifted from being in the office into their home offices, I was able to lift and shift with no effort other than deploying the new agent out into the environment.""The fact that it's just one product that can patch multiple operating systems is really great.""It's super easy to use and we haven't found anything easier.""The biggest improvement to our organization involves the reduction in its man hours... We've probably saved hundreds of hours.""The flexibility in creating tools to make changes on remote machines is most valuable to me. The reporting feature is also fantastic because on any given day I can bring up a list of machines that don't have patches, for example. Or I can bring up a list of machines that are in my environment on a certain day. The solution helps me with not only my own role, and what I look for internally myself, but it also helps during audits. I can go in and look at the number of machines in there, and their owners and timelines. It certainly helps tell a story for anything that IT requires.""Among the most valuable features are its ease of use and the Worklets. Both of them are time-savers. Worklets enable us to customize things for a given environment. It's something like when Apple lets other people create applications. Other peoples' Worklets can be used in our environment and in our customers' environments. That saves a lot of time, and it's really cool."

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"The product provides a valuable Single Sign-On (SSO) integration feature within our IES environment, particularly with the IT directory and server systems.""With WSUS, you can automatically install and distribute Microsoft security patches without using an internet connection for all clients and servers. It is not difficult to understand how it works and I think it's a very nice tool.""The solution performs well.""I like that we could evaluate every client and compare some weaknesses and vulnerability exploits in Microsoft Windows Server Update Services. This is a useful way to test applications against an attacker attempting to exploit the operating system.""The solution gives authentic updates.""The central points of managing product updates have been the tool's most valuable features.""Provides the ability to create multiple downstream servers.""The reporting capabilities that help maintain compliance and security are good."

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Cons
"There should be better inventory capabilities. Right now, they only allow you to have insight into software out-of-the-box. It would be nice to also extend that into custom inventory that can be modified and managed by the practitioner.""The stability has come a long way from what it was like when it started and now it's really good.""Asset management would be a great feature to add to Automox. We would run easier scripts or more out of the box scripts that would help us in audits. \""They need to improve the automation features.""It should have integrated workstation access. So, there should be a remote desktop feature.""As concerns the patching concepts, there's a bit of a learning curve in terms of working out how Automox wants you to work within the console, not only splitting up everything into groups, but then having the various policies assigned.""When we bring on a new client, we need to go into that client and manually set up my account, my chief engineer's account, three technicians' accounts, and a billing person's account all over again, which is annoying. We have probably up to 15 or 16 of our clients on Automox now. For every single one of those, we have had to go in and set this up. Then, if anything changes, we have to remember to go to Automox and change it 15 or 16 times. So, we just want inheritable permissions, and that is it. We have talked to them about this, and they are like, "Yeah, we hear a lot of complaints about it." I am thinking, "Guys, I have been complaining about this for a year and a half. When are you going to do it?" It must be some tricky thing or not an easy fix, because I can only assume if it were easy, then they would have done it by now.""The biggest area they need to fix, without a doubt, is the ability to copy and sync profiles and worklets between all of the organizations you manage, and the ability to have top-level user access control across all of the companies that you manage."

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"The old backup files created by this solution use up a lot of storage, and this needs to be improved.""It would be good if it could deploy third-party patches or applications.""This solution's deployment could be improved. When I was the admin, there were some problems when deploying to clients. Sometimes the policy is not effective. I guess, more on the reliability side, more reliable means working more often with the clients. It could be easier to deploy.""Microsoft Windows Server Update Services could improve by being less cumbersome to use. It's somewhat difficult to use, but we manage to get through it.""Because you have to pay for the product and there may be other good free solutions, this may not be the best choice for a cost-minded organization.""Microsoft should improve their support for the product. A lot of guys are installing their products, especially Xero. If you have a real problem, though, it's quite difficult to find someone who you can support you.""The product must integrate with third-party applications.""One area for potential improvement involves the administrative portal, where numerous options, including asset management and patch management, are integrated."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "We are on the premium licensing, which is the one that has the API capability that we use."
  • "There are no additional costs in addition to the extended licensing fees with Automox. You get your support and your per endpoint license with what you purchased."
  • "For all these software tools, it is usually a subscription model. There is a monthly charge that we need to pass along to our clients because we are doing all this for their benefit. It is only a couple of bucks a month per computer, and that is a low enough price point where our clients, without exception, have accepted it, and said, "This is great. We will pay that. It sounds like a worthwhile thing.""
  • "The pricing and licensing costs have been great for us... My advice to others who are evaluating or thinking of implementing Automox is to give it a shot. If a free trial is still available, definitely use it, because it makes life a lot easier."
  • "The product is a great value."
  • "Automox just charges us a set amount per user, per month, for using the product. That is very important to us. Because it's a cloud-native solution, you're saving on the cost of hosting an on-premises solution on your servers."
  • "We're doing it annually directly through Automox. It is per endpoint. It is $2 and some change per endpoint, but I believe the cost is right around $28,000. Everything is covered in this fee."
  • "Its licensing for a year was nine grand. There was no additional fee."
  • More Automox Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Because it is not open-source, it has to compete with open-source solutions. Relatively it is expensive to open-source."
  • "The WSUS cost is included in Microsoft Windows, and there are no licensing fees."
  • "The integration is included in the Windows Server system, and there are no additional fees."
  • "This product comes included with Windows and can be used free of charge."
  • "The licensing of WSUS is free of charge because it comes with the Windows Server operating system, included as a feature of the operating system itself. It's simply a role that you enable within Windows Server."
  • "It doesn't need a license. It's offered for free with Microsoft."
  • "Microsoft's operating model determines the solution's pricing, and we use it based on our enterprise agreement, which incurs an annual cost."
  • "The solution is expensive, and the licensing costs are yearly."
  • More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:It's easy to deploy agents to endpoints.
    Top Answer:We do pay a monthly licensing fee. I'd rate the pricing as average. It's not cheap yet not too expensive. You can also pay for more support if you require them to provide consultancy services.
    Top Answer:They need to improve the automation features. It could be more stable.
    Top Answer:The reporting capabilities that help maintain compliance and security are good.
    Top Answer:The solution must provide the issue description of the patches. We are not able to trace the issue resolution for the patches. The issues must be available in the patch portal. It will help us to be… more »
    Ranking
    12th
    out of 49 in Patch Management
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    Average Words per Review
    444
    Rating
    7.0
    3rd
    out of 49 in Patch Management
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    24
    Average Words per Review
    403
    Rating
    8.3
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    Also Known As
    Windows Server Update Services, Microsoft WSUS, WSUS, Microsoft Software Update Services, Software Update Services, Microsoft SUS, SUS, MS Windows Server Update Services
    Learn More
    Overview

    Facing growing threats and a rapidly expanding attack surface, understaffed and alert-fatigued organizations need more efficient ways to eliminate their exposure to vulnerabilities. Automox is a modern cyber hygiene platform that closes the aperture of attack by more than 80% with just half the effort of traditional solutions.

    Cloud-based and globally available, Automox enforces OS & third-party patch management, security configurations, and custom scripting across Windows, Mac, and Linux from a single intuitive console. IT and SecOps can quickly gain control and share visibility of on-prem, remote and virtual endpoints without the need to deploy costly infrastructure.

    Automox dramatically reduces corporate risk while raising operational efficiency to deliver best-in-class security outcomes, faster and with fewer resources.

    Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is a patch management tool that simplifies the administrator’s task of deploying the latest Microsoft updates. Administrators use WSUS to manage the distribution of updates released through Microsoft Update to computers in their network.

    WSUS has features you can use to manage and distribute updates from a management console. The WSUS server can also be a source of updates to other servers within the organization, acting as an upstream server.

    Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Use Cases

    The four main use cases that WSUS adds value to businesses are:

    • Centralizes update management.
    • Automates update management.
    • Performs general patch management to ensure compliance and protect against vulnerabilities.
    • Downloads all endpoint updates from data centers to a central location and then distribute them across the organization’s network.

    Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Features

    This built-in server includes the following features:

    • Includes Windows PowerShell cmdlets.
    • Features client and server separation, which means you can deliver versions of the Windows Update Agent (WUA) separately from WSUS.
    • Automatic download of updates.
    • Deploy a targeted download of updates to a specific group of computers.
    • Multiple language support.
    • Advanced reporting capabilities.
    • Centralized management of network resources.

    Requirements

    In order to be able to use WSUS to manage and deploy updates, it is important to use a supported WSUS version, such as:

    • WSUS 10.0.14393
    • WSUS 10.0.17763
    • WSUS 6.2 and 6.3 with installed KB 3095113 and KB 3159706

    Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Benefits

    • Stable.
    • Ensures servers are always patched and prevents vulnerabilities.
    • Works great for internal updating.
    • Enforces automated updates and patching for applications.
    • Because the solution is used in the cloud, clients are always using the latest version.
    • Highly scalable and configurable regardless of the organization’s layout.

    Different Types of WSUS Deployments

    • Simple WSUS deployment: A server inside the corporate firewall serves clients via a private intranet. The WSUS server downloads updates by connecting to Microsoft Update. Using this model, you can configure multiple WSUS servers with a parent WSUS server.

    • Computer groups: You can use computer groups to deliver updates to specific computers. There are two basic computer groups: All Computers or Unassigned Computers. When a client first contacts the WSUS server, it is added to both. You can then create a group from the Unassigned Computers group to the new group.

    • WSUS server hierarchies: The flexibility of WSUS enables the creation of complex hierarchies of servers. To do this, you need only a single WSUS server connected to Microsoft Update. This will serve as an “upstream server,” and the connected servers as “downstream servers.”

      • You can link WSUS servers in two modes: autonomous or replica. In the autonomous mode, the upstream server shares the updates with the downstream servers but doesn’t update status or group information.

      • The upstream server shares updates, status, and group information in replica mode. You cannot administer replica servers apart from the upstream WSUS server.
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    Buyer's Guide
    Patch Management
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, HCLTech, Kaseya and others in Patch Management. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Automox is ranked 12th in Patch Management with 10 reviews while Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is ranked 3rd in Patch Management with 37 reviews. Automox is rated 8.8, while Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Automox writes "Monitors our devices irrespective of the location and the environment, allows us to exempt certain machines from certain patches, and has perfect patch management abilities". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services writes "Lets us manage all our organization's updates from a single management console". Automox is most compared with Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Configuration Manager, BigFix, Qualys VMDR and VMware Workspace ONE, whereas Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is most compared with BigFix, ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus, Ivanti Neurons Patch for Intune, Microsoft Configuration Manager and NinjaOne.

    See our list of best Patch Management vendors.

    We monitor all Patch Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.