Heimdal Patch and Asset Management vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services comparison

Automate your vulnerability management and save valuable time and resources with a patch management solution that lets you deploy and patch any Microsoft and Linux OS, 3rd party and proprietary software, on-the-fly, from anywhere in the world and according to any schedule. With complete visibility and granular control over your entire software inventory.

Play it your way; set up patching or updating schedules the way you like them, force-push updates to users or AD groups, uninstall unstable software versions or you can sit back, relax, and let our patch management tool figure out what’s best for your vulnerability and software asset management needs.

Unifying Windows and Linux under a single banner – Patch & Asset Management can now provide powerful and insightful vulnerability and patch management for both Windows and Linux-running machines and group policies. Install, deploy, and push security and non-security updates & patches on any system anywhere and anytime, regardless of build. Compatible with Ubuntu 18.04+.

As soon as 3rd party vendors release new patches, our technology silently deploys them to your endpoints based on your configured policies, without the need for manual input, reboots or user interruption. Additionally, you can always use the Infinity Management add-on to deploy and patch any other custom application that supports silent installation commands.

Patch & Asset Management has the shortest vendor to end-user waiting time: < 4 hours, which includes testing and repackaging. Every patch, update, rollup, hotfix, security pack, or fix is tested, adware-cleaned, and repackaged before added to your Heimdal cloud. HTTPS encapsulation ensures data in-transit privacy. Once uploaded to the Heimdal cloud, the resource becomes available for distribution and deployment.

Enjoy completely customizable set-and-forget settings that allow you to automatically deploy your software and updates, with a full compliance and CVE/CVSS audit trail. This gives you the powerful option to tailor your entire IT environment. You can create policies that meet your exact needs across the Active Directory groups within your organization. Once configured, the deployment is easy and simple. Low bandwidth resources are necessary since our patch management software uses local P2P for patch distribution & deployment instead of client-server models.

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.