The New Boundary Prism Patch Manager is also a product that only deploys Microsoft patches.This product comes from the UK.
Setup was a little tricky. There are a few components of the installer you have to understand how to install. A typical installation includes the console, the master agent, and the agent installer. You also don't have to manually install agents on client machines.
The minimum software requirements to run Patch Manager are Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP Professional and Windows Server family operating systems. Clients PCs can run on Windows 2000 and 2003 Server operating systems.
Machines are discovered using Microsoft's Active Directory. There were a few things we had to do beforehand, like enter a domain to search as well as give administrator access to the master agent, which does all the interrogating. When a machine is discovered you have to allow it to be managed which will then allow you to query the machine. Querying the machine means checking to see what patches need to be installed; this was pretty simple. The format in which this information is displayed was excellent. Across the top of the application running horizontally you can tab across the various windows products and check to see which patches you're missing.
The Prism Manager has a bit more functionality than the Shavlik solution, such as a research pane that allows you to find out what updates are available. The reports it can generate were also more advanced.
We were generally quite pleased with this product, but disappointed that it only manages Windows installations.
Prism Patch Manager is licensed on a 12-month subscription basis. Twelve-month renewals are available at the rate of 25 percent of the published license fees.
| Product | New Boundary Prism Patch Manager 6.1 |
| Price | 1-50 users AU$1144; 751-1000 users AU$12,592 |
| Vendor | Pacen |
| Phone | 02 9816 1294 |
| Web | www.pacen.com.au |
| Interoperability |  |
| Runs on Windows machines. | |
| Futureproofing |  ½ |
| Scans and deploys but doesn't manage. | |
| ROI |  |
| Can get expensive, there is also a 12-month renewal at 25 percent of list price. | |
| Service |  |
| 24x7 support part of 12-month subscription; second level support via Manchester (UK). | |
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