Patch management: 4 packages tested

11 June 2004 03:52 PM

Tags: security, radia, novadigm, boundary, languard, shavlik, prism, gfi

Shavlik HFNetChkPro 4

Shavlik HFNetChkPro 4 HFNetChkPro 4 is a GUI based patch management tool. It stems from the HFNetChk tool that Microsoft distributes for free. This tool can be set up in only a couple of minutes.

It can run on Windows 2000 SP3 or later, XP Professional, and Windows Server 2003 Family. As for clients, it supports Windows NT, 2000, and 2003 Server operating systems. Other prerequisites are MDAC, XML, and Jet.

The great thing about this software is that it doesn't use an agent. This speeds up set up time dramatically. This HFNetChk engine uses CAB files that Microsoft maintains to check whether client machines are missing patches. It can scan up to 64 machines simultaneously and if you need to scan more, you can schedule another scan once the first one has finished.

This tool was the easiest package to use. The front end is very clean and within seconds the software would discover our machines and run a scan on them. It was just as easy to deploy the fixes. There were a few different ways in which you can scan and deploy fixes they were either by IP address, domain, or a group of machines. All in all a very intuitive product but it only deploys Microsoft patches.

Shavlik has two Australian resellers, Commander and New Wave Technologies. The price per licensed user also seems high compared to the other products in this review.

Product Shavlik HFNetChkPro
Price 1-50 users + 1 console US$1,040; 1-1000 users + 5 consoles US $14,600
Vendor Shavlik
Phone +1 612 331 6737
Web www.shavlik.com
 
Interoperability
Runs on Windows machines
Futureproofing
Scans and deploys but doesn't manage.
ROI
Very good for what it does but very expensive.
Service
Local support may be hard to find.
Rating ½
  Patch management

  GFI LanGuard
  New Boundary Prism
  Novadigm Radia
  Shavlik HFNetChkPro

 How We Tested
 Network VirusWall
 Microsoft SMS
 Sample Scenario
 Editor's Choice
 About RMIT

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