Dell and Symantec Launch Windows Patch Management Tools

by Alex Woodie

Dell announced yesterday it is expanding its partnership with change management provider Altiris to offer integrated patch management capabilities for Windows servers and PCs. Meanwhile Symantec finally unveiled its rebranded version of the patch management software it obtained in its acquisition of ON Technology last year.

Dell says Windows Server shops will benefit from the new partnership by being able to hook their Dell OpenManage 4 systems management software into the Altiris change management software, which is called the Altiris Management Suite. With Dell OpenManage 4 and Altiris Management Suite talking to each other, Windows shops will be able to update system software, operating systems, and applications from a single interface.

Altiris customers already using the company's change management software to manage the maintenance and roll-out of Windows patches and application updates also benefit by using the patch tool for automated delivery of BIOS, ROM, and firmware updates from Dell.

Altiris is a growing and successful developer of change management software for the Windows, Unix, Linux, and Java platforms, with more than 11,000 customers and $166 million in revenue for the year ended December 31. In addition to the strategic relationship with Dell, the Lindon, Utah, company has a similar agreement with Hewlett-Packard.

Meanwhile, Symantec this week unveiled LiveState Patch Manager, a new component of its LiveState suite of tools. LiveState Patch Manager is a Windows server-based patch management product designed to help companies keep their Windows computers up to date with the latest Microsoft patches.

Symantec says its LiveState Patch Manager has the capability to scan hundreds of Windows servers or PCs and quickly determine those without the latest security updates from Microsoft. It then automates the delivery and installation of the patch where needed. The software is designed to be used by medium size businesses and enterprise accounts. It supports features like scheduling, grouping, bandwidth throttling, checkpoint restarts, and compliance reporting.

LiveState Patch Manager was formerly called ON iPatch, the patch management product that Symantec obtained in its acquisition of ON Technology. Other members of the LiveState suite include LiveState Delivery Enterprise Manager (formerly ON iCommand Enterprise); Symantec pcAnywhere for Symantec LiveState (formerly Symantec pcAnywhere for ON iCommand); LiveState Designer; and Symantec LiveState Recovery Desktop. A related tool, called Symantec Discovery, was formerly called ON iCommand Discovery.

Patch Manager can be deployed with or without other members of the LiveState suite. The software supports the Standard, Web, and Enterprise editions of Windows Server 2003; Windows 2000 Server and Advanced Server and Windows 2000 Professional; Windows XP Professional; and Windows NT 4.0.