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Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
8.0
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services automates updates, reduces downtime, minimizes costs, and simplifies management without additional purchase or effort.
Sentiment score
8.2
Qualys CyberSecurity improved efficiency, reduced costs, and drove 150% growth with better vulnerability management and simplified asset tagging.
Improvements to our security infrastructure contributed to overall business growth of approximately 150 percent over the past year.
By automating tasks, it significantly reduces the human resources required, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
It has reduced the number of development and scripting hours along with maintenance hours.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.5
Users find Windows Server Update Services user-friendly, but opinions on support quality and speed are mixed, with documentation helpful.
Sentiment score
8.0
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management customer service is praised for prompt, knowledgeable support, effective ticket handling, and proactive communication.
Microsoft Update provides one of the worst support experiences among all tech companies that I have experienced.
There was a time when contacting the support agency was more straightforward.
The support team was knowledgeable and offered a variety of quick resolution options.
Their SMEs have sufficient knowledge, and if they are not the right contact, they quickly redirect us to someone who can help resolve issues.
I would rate their customer support a ten out of ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services effectively supports scalable enterprise needs but may face challenges in very large organizations.
Sentiment score
8.8
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management excels in scalability, integration, and ease of use, receiving high ratings from global users.
Though there are options to use Microsoft MS SQL, it does not support more than 3,000 clients.
We have about 300,000 assets installed with agents worldwide.
The scalability is excellent as we manage more than one hundred thousand assets, including over one hundred thousand endpoints, approximately 2,600 servers, and more than 1,200 network devices.
Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management has proven to be a highly scalable solution for us over the past couple of years.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is generally stable with strong performance but may face minor issues with specific versions or hardware.
Sentiment score
8.3
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is stable and reliable, with occasional delays, excellent support, and enhanced update capabilities.
I would rate the stability of Qualys CSAM a ten out of ten.
They are constantly adding capabilities.
This platform demonstrates excellent stability with consistent 100 percent uptime and no glitches observed.
 

Room For Improvement

Windows Server Update Services needs improvements in user interface, integration, stability, security, automation, and update efficiency.
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management seeks improvements in integration, customization, performance, user interface, access control, and support resources.
Qualys is currently not able to identify assets lacking DNS information.
Features enhancing the interaction with IT or security teams should be added, such as a ticketing feature that, if an issue arises in the CSAM module, enables direct ticket creation in systems like ServiceNow.
We would prefer more options, such as 'approved only for pilot' or 'approved for this line of business,' allowing for better granularity in categorizing software.
 

Setup Cost

WSUS is included with Windows Server licenses, but costs differ based on deployment complexity and Microsoft's enterprise agreements.
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management offers transparent, flexible pricing, ideal for large enterprises, but may be costly for smaller firms.
It's a free service.
It's free.
A cost-effective solution.
A monthly subscription starting at approximately $72 per month, depending on the specific package and features included.
Though the solution is considered expensive, if bundled with other services such as VMDR or cloud agents, its value would significantly increase.
 

Valuable Features

Effective Group Policy integration ensures stable performance, centralized management, efficient updates, scalability, enhanced security, and cost-effective deployment.
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management offers dynamic tagging, real-time visibility, vulnerability prioritization, and automated scanning for comprehensive security management.
The ease of use and efficient reporting contribute significantly to my overall productivity.
Patch management is indeed valuable, however, the process to achieve it could be improved.
By correlating this with QDS scores, we can accurately assess the risk level of high or low QDS scores associated with each asset and monitor them accordingly.
The most valuable feature is the real-time visibility Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management provides into all assets across our development and operational environments.
It also performs scans to identify any vulnerabilities, which helps to take proactive measures before those vulnerabilities are identified by any attacker.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Windows Server Up...
Ranking in Patch Management
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset ...
Ranking in Patch Management
6th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (8th), Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM) (3rd), Attack Surface Management (ASM) (3rd), Software Supply Chain Security (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 6.0%, down from 12.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is 1.0%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

Chuck Colby - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient patch management, potentially scalable, and free is using Microsoft servers
Whether to use the solution or not is going to be context-sensitive. If you have a strong Microsoft team, you can probably handle this. If, like my team, you also have a dozen other vendors to consider, it's not just the operating system. The pattern I've seen over time with WSUS is that it has the potential to be a fantastic product, yet it doesn't feel finished. People try to implement WSUS, and context is important. In my context, we're a small business without teams of Microsoft-certified people. We are just trying to use what's available to achieve a goal, and WSUS is fine, however, not the best product out there. The business in America often tries to do more with less. I would not recommend it to a team of my size. If a company had half a dozen or a dozen Microsoft-certified people, I'd say, run with it. For a team of my size, no, absolutely not. I would rate the overall solution a solid eight out of ten.
Scott Frederick - PeerSpot reviewer
Well-integrated with our vulnerability scanning utilities and efficient in asset tagging and identification
Our favorite features are the tagging and the ability to quickly find assets in the portal. Additionally, I do like the fact that Qualys CSAM is integrated with the rest of our vulnerability scanning utilities. We use the full suite from Qualys. The fact that it is integrated makes it very easy to understand. It shares tagging information with VMDR. That is very nice. Qualys CSAM has discovered assets not previously covered by our vulnerability management program. Primarily, if we have assets without vulnerabilities, they become less visible, but Qualys CSAM alerts us to them because they have IP addresses and are attached to our network. It could discover everything from printers to servers to endpoints. It could discover UPSs, network devices, and across all operating systems. It discovers our security badge readers and digital signage. We have to feed that the IP address ranges, but beyond that, it finds everything in our internal network. We were able to realize its benefits within the first quarter of installing it. We did have to take some time to learn it and understand how to operationally leverage what it was telling us, but it was very quick. In addition to vulnerabilities, Qualys CSAM helps identify other risk factors to a degree. For instance, we can see if servers or assets have incorrect naming standards. We have our network segmented into development model, test, and production, and we have server naming standards that identify which management they should be in. If a production server has the naming standard of a development model server, we can find that. That is one area we have used it for. We are not fully using TruRisk, but we are using the Qualys detection score that is central to our corporate risk prioritization approach. It has completely replaced our homegrown one.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
It's a free service. You just buy the Windows Server operating system, and it is an internal feature.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
Sometimes, I encounter issues with the Windows internal database, which occasionally does not load, leading to the Pandit console stopping. I have to repair the database and perform export and impo...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?
The pricing is reasonable relative to the features provided, as it collects all module data and operates as a main, centralized inventory, making it a cost-effective solution.
What needs improvement with Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management helps us prioritize assets according to operating system, kernel version, installed software, and current version information. The ASM assists with attack surf...
What is your primary use case for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?
We are using Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management for daily activities such as identifying new assets through network scanning and agent-based scanning for newly provisioned assets. When any new a...
 

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
No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.