Patch Management Technology to Converge

Although Microsoft is to be commended for trying to make patch management easier, more comprehensive, and free with Windows, the fact that Windows Update and the free Software Update Services (SUS) appear to do the same job as Systems Management Server, or SMS (a separate server product), has caused some customer confusion. Other than the SMS 2003 Advanced Client’s use of the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)— technology first developed by the Windows Update team to download patch files in the background over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)—SMS, Windows Update, and SUS today share very little common technology.

Microsoft positions SMS as the best patch-management tool for large enterprises, which likely need SMS’s more capable targeting and reporting capabilities, as well as its other features not geared toward patch management (such as general software distribution, software and hardware inventory, remote control, and software usage tracking). Microsoft also recommends that home users and very small businesses simply turn on Windows’ Automatic Update feature today and use the new Windows Update Services (WUS) agent when it ships later this year to automatically download and install patches. However, deciding which product to use is more complicated for small and medium-size businesses.