What are the benefits of Patch Management ?
Incorporating patch management in your enterprise is very
important. Here are some of the benefits :
- Ensure that the most appropriate software available is
installed
- Seal security loopholes in systems that can be exploited
by malicious hackers
- Reduce system downtime
- Limit attacks that target known software vulnerabilities
- Be the last line of defense and secure networks from security
threats
Patch Management using PatchQuest
Most IT administrators manually patch systems due to the
high-risk factor involved in managing patches and the systems
that are patched.
PatchQuest automates the tedious manual patch management
tasks by automatically detecting vulnerabilities in machines,
assessing what patches are missing and what are available,
downloading patches from vendor sites and deploying them on
systems that require them - all this from a central location.
Patch Management Features in PatchQuest
Flexible modes of operation -
agent-based, agentless or both
Be it workstations and servers that are a part of the LAN,
or mobile computers that are on and off the network, or other
important systems that are not accessible via the local network
- PatchQuest lays out the best of both worlds before you -
an agentless solution, that minimizes the number of services
and software running on target machines and can handle a changing
network scenario and - an agent-based solution which is efficient
in a bandwidth-constrained environment and can work well in
a scaling network environment; both approaches in one package.
Provision to manage systems in remote
locations over the internet, using HTTPS Agents
The PatchQuest Agent in release 4.3 is powered with the capability
to communicate with the PatchQuest Server using HTTP (apart
from TCP mode), meaning over the web. This facilitates managing
systems that are spread across different geographical locations
or offices over the internet, laptops that are often disconnected
from the network and systems situated behind a NAT/PAT firewall
or router.
Multi-OS
vulnerability scanning and patching
Equipped with the ability to manage patches for different
operating systems like Windows and related Microsoft applications
namely IE, MS SQL, Media Player, MDAC, IIS, .NET Framework,
DirectX etc., RedHat Linux and Debian Linux, PatchQuest addresses
the well-being of heterogeneous enterprise networks.
Web-based administration console
for universal secure-access to data views and configurations
Access to all the features of PatchQuest through a single,
unified web-based interface using standard web browsers. Not
having to go through the burden of installing additional client-console
software to access the management system, provides administrators
and IT managers with the independence to use the system from
anywhere.
Cross-platform
product installation
PatchQuest can be installed and run on both Windows &
Linux (RedHat & Debian) operating systems, offering the
freedom to allocate machines based on availability in a resource-constrained,
heterogeneous environment.
Intelligent
patch assessment and validation
PatchQuest scans systems, an IP range or the entire network,
identifies vulnerabilities and reports the status of missing
patches and existent patch installations. Administrators can
easily determine at a glance which systems do not have critical
patches, and take remedial action.
The validity of patches - missing or installed - is ascertained
by intelligent file size-and-version checks, registry checks
and checksums and these enable PatchQuest to recognize when
a new file has overwritten a file from an old patch.
Simplified
Patch Deployment
PatchQuest simplifies the patch
deployment process by automatically handling patch interdependencies,
multiple patch installations on the same or different systems,
deployment sequencing and system reboots. You can always be
in sync with the latest patch information by updating the
vulnerability database from the internet.
Automated, policy-based
patch management
PatchQuest allows automatic download and installation of
missing patches and service packs, based on preset baselines
or corporate security policies. You can conveniently schedule
the vulnerability scans and patch deployment for a particular
day of the week or set repetitive schedules and arrange machines
in groups and manage updates - all in just a few simple clicks
using the web interface; and stay in control.
Gamut of
reports to facilitate quick access to the data you need
Useful and accurate reports that keep you up-to-date, help
you make informed decisions and ensure policy compliance.
PatchQuest delivers summaries on software inventory details,
scan and deployment progress status, patch installation audit,
patch management and many more.
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