Summary

This chapter covered these topics:

• Microsoft Update

• Windows Server Update Services

Each of these products is available free of charge from Microsoft and meets the patching requirements of most organizations. The major benefit of Microsoft Update is that it is free, it is easy to use, and it is dependable. However Microsoft Update has potential negative bandwidth concerns, it cannot be controlled as to which patches computers receive, and it requires users to take actions in some cases, which puts the entire solution at risk.

WSUS provides a couple of benefits not received with Microsoft Update — in particular, increased control of which computers receive which patches as well as reduced bandwidth needs. WSUS also provides more updates that are organized by type and by product than what can be received from Microsoft Update.

Both products show Microsoft's increased commitment to protecting computer assets by making it easier to deploy updates to operating systems and major applications. In the next chapter, we look at configuring MOM 2005 to support your operations management requirements.