Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs Qualys Patch Management comparison

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs. Qualys Patch Management

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Helped 813,418 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Windows Server Up...

Ranking in Patch Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Qualys Patch Management

Ranking in Patch Management

18th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

AANKITGUPTAA

Consultant at Pi DATACENTERS

Nov 23, 2022

Easy to download and patch but needs to be a generic patch management solution

We use the solution primarily for patching. It is a very crucial activity in terms of maintaining up-to-date images and safeguarding the operating system from different bugs and avoiding crashes. We keep everything updated, including security patches. We have multiple servers based on different…

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Brad Mathis

Employee-Owner, Senior Consultant, Information Security at Keller Schroeder

Jun 10, 2024

Helps simplify patching, integrates well, and reduces costs

A common area for improvement in Patch Management, both within our environment and others I've encountered, is the lack of built-in driver updates. Ideally, the system would handle updates for network interface cards, video cards, and other components, eliminating the need to rely on manufacturer-specific tools like Dell Update or HP Update. Integrating these patching options would significantly improve the overall functionality. Qualys Patch Management primarily updates operating systems, third-party software including Adobe products and many more, leaving video card drivers and firmware updates to other tools. This focus on core software is understandable, as driver and firmware updates can be more complex. The price has room for improvement.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is Server Update's stability."

"The interface is easy to use."

"It is a scalable solution."

"Downloads critical reports separately."

"The reporting capabilities that help maintain compliance and security are good."

"The product reduced the number of crashes on our applications that were not able to use the latest versions of Windows updates."

"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 noteworthy aspect is the system's capability to handle an extensive range of services and workloads, with the potential for almost unlimited scalability."

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services pros

"Policy enforcement requires less time for my team because users cannot avoid applying updates. The user can skip two or three times or for a maximum of eight hours. After that, there is no way to avoid it. It helps us keep the environment safe."

"For a few applications, you do not need to go and download the patches from the network or somewhere else. They have the patches or the latest updates in the directory. You can just select a patch and deploy it to a server. You can create a patch job and select the patch. Everything is within the interface. You do not need to go out of it."

"Qualys' best feature is its reporting. At first, it may seem a little complicated to a beginning user, but it's helpful once you get used to it. Most of these scans run automatically. We set the scans up for the client to run at daily, weekly, or monthly intervals, depending on how critical the server or other hardware is."

"The most valuable feature in Patch Management is the Qualys query language for set-it-and-forget-it patching for our preapproved patches, and our preapproved schedules, That is extremely helpful compared to the old days of patching."

Cons

"Having the ability to group updates by the operating systems would be very helpful."

"The solution's stability could be improved because sometimes, there are some problems in communication and sending updates and patches."

"While the product is generally effective, I believe the integration with other applications could be enhanced."

"The product needs to improve its user interface."

"Job management and control is an area that is in need of improvement."

"I would like to see support for other operating systems such as Linux."

"Microsoft Windows Server Update Services needs to improve its reporting feature. The tool's competitor has better reporting capabilities."

"The challenges exist according to the planning. For example, if you plan to implement and apply updates to your infrastructure, including servers and clients, you must provide storage information and have a clear plan for that from start to end."

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services cons

"One of the challenges that we have faced with the Patch Management tool is that you cannot patch all the things. There are some limitations, whereas, in SCCM, we can create a package and just deploy that through it. Anything is deployable through SCCM, whereas Patch Management is very selective."

"A common area for improvement in Patch Management, both within our environment and others I've encountered, is the lack of built-in driver updates."

"Qualys could improve its capacity to fix vulnerabilities on VMware and other virtualized environments. The reporting could also be enhanced to make it more user-friendly. It's difficult for beginners to learn."

"Its implementation is too recent to make any judgments about areas needing improvement. In terms of pricing, of course, it is not free. Cheaper is always better."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is not expensive."

"While it might be relatively more expensive for smaller companies, larger enterprises can find it robust and capable of delivering significant value."

"Microsoft's operating model determines the solution's pricing, and we use it based on our enterprise agreement, which incurs an annual cost."

"Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is not an expensive solution."

"The WSUS cost is included in Microsoft Windows, and there are no licensing fees."

"The tool could be cheaper."

"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."

"We need one single key for Windows deployments, which is a better option. Buying a license with the same key for all systems, like Windows and Windows Desktop, makes configuring easier. Otherwise, it isn't easy to manage multiple keys for different systems."

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services pricing and cost advice

"I'm unaware of Qualys' exact price, but it's more expensive than Nessus. With technological products, you need to pay to get the best."

"The licensing cost is more than 2,000 for the whole Americas region"

"It is affordable, but they should provide features as per the rate they are charging. We have a big infrastructure with about 80,000 licenses. We expect better support from the Qualys team. So, it is affordable, but more features should be there, and the support should be better."

"Qualys Patch Management's pricing is competitive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

16%

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?

We can track the updates of the PC and servers.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?

The cost of the solution is managed by our purchase department, however, it is deemed a good solution overall.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?

Microsoft should address the issue where some updates cause the blue screen (BlueDump) error in the server OS, which is not supported in the hardware. Removing unsupported patches or providing solu...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys Patch Management?

It is affordable, but they should provide features as per the rate they are charging. We have a big infrastructure with about 80,000 licenses. We expect better support from the Qualys team. So, it ...

What needs improvement with Qualys Patch Management?

The Qualys Scanning tool is one of the best tools for scanning purposes, virus detection, and vulnerability detection, whereas Qualys Patch Management is helpful only in a few cases, not in all cas...

What is your primary use case for Qualys Patch Management?

Qualys has a scanning tool for viruses, vulnerability, and malware detections. They recently launched Qualys Patch Management for patching applications or server sites. We previously used tools lik...

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Product Reports

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Download Microsoft Windows Server Update Services product report

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services report

Qualys Patch Management

Download Qualys Patch Management product report

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

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Microsoft

Qualys

Overview

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.

Qualys Patch Management optimizes patching and vulnerability remediation through automation and intelligence insights, accelerating the process by 43% and improving patch rates by 90%. Its integration with CMDB and ITSM tools speeds up ticket closures by 60%, effectively reducing the attack surface while freeing IT and security resources. This cloud-based solution bridges the IT-security gap, making it essential for cybersecurity.

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs. Qualys Patch Management