Microsoft Systems Administrators Rave About Free Ecora Patch Analysis Tool
PatchMeister enables admins to analyze missing patches within their Microsoft environment in minutes;Intuitive user interface takes patch management to a new level of efficiency
PORTSMOUTH, NH — August 1, 2002 — Ecora Software, makers of comprehensive IT infrastructure auditing, disaster recovery, and vulnerability assessment solutions, today announced the availability of PatchMeister, a free innovative patch management tool for the Windows environment.
“PatchMeister is easy to install, easy to use, and delivers reports quickly,” said Kemi Le, network services manager at Dulles, VA-based Cizer Software. “It is easier than the Microsoft HFNetChk tool because you have the GUI and you can check as many machines as you want to from one console. It cuts down the time I spend updating machines quite a bit.”
PatchMeister auto-discovers domains, servers, and workstations and analyzes existing patch configurations for each system. It compares what’s installed with the latest available patches for NT4, Windows 2000, and XP Pro operating systems as well as key applications such as Internet Explorer, IIS, and SQL Server running on workstations and servers and provides a concise report of what patches need to be installed.
The free tool can be downloaded at www.ecora.com to analyze your systems today. Ecora will release PatchMeister Pro, a cross-platform version with “push” patch installation and auto-update functions, later in the fall.
Three views
Users can view patches by host, by product, or by a particular patch, which puts actionable information at users’ fingertips and enables you to quickly determine what patches need to be installed.
Unlike most patch tools, PatchMeister uses both remote registry and file signature checks to validate if patches are installed. This provides a more foolproof method of scanning for patches. In addition, the program reports are in HTML for easy viewing and printing and can be exported into a CSV file for manipulation of data.
PatchMeister provides summary-level information, listing all hosts, which operating systems they’re running, which service packs are installed, and the number of products installed and their version numbers. PatchMeister pulls data directly from the Microsoft XML database, MS Secure, and provides hot links for immediate access to the latest patch information. The intuitive GUI helps users get more from MS Secure by making its data easier to use with sortable views and automatic patch analysis of installed systems from a single workstation.
“If I were a systems administrator and could do one thing to enhance security, it would be to figure out what patches are missing in my infrastructure and install them,” said Ecora Software founder and CEO Alex Bakman. “With PatchMeister, missing patches are listed first, showing what has to be installed for the system to be up to date, then putting the patches one click away. It’s as simple as it gets.”
Immediate response
Customers who have tried PatchMeister note the product’s intuitive interface and the way it extends the usefulness of Microsoft tools.
“I am used to using QFECHECK to find the patches installed and HFNETCHK to determine the patches that need to be installed,” said Timothy Wilson, IT network administrator for Clinical Trial Management Services. “PatchMeister not only gives me all of that information, but it links me to the MS bulletins so that I be make sure that I am installing the correct patches.”
“We have a variety of clients ranging from home office users, to medical practices, to software companies,” said Robert Dempsey, owner of Atlantic Dominion Solutions. “The one thing all of our clients have in common is the need to stay updated on security and operating system patches. By utilizing secure remote access methods and PatchMeister, we are easily able to keep all of our clients up to date. PatchMeister’s GUI is extremely intuitive and easy to navigate, and it gives us up-to-date information on the latest patches and where they can be downloaded.”
About Ecora Software
Ecora Software is a leading provider of enterprise-wide IT infrastructure assessment, continuity, recovery, and security solutions. The easily installed software automatically provides superior, actionable information that reduces cost, risk, and time in managing the IT environment. Ecora’s agent-free products run from a single administrative workstation and support many major enterprise products from companies such as Cisco Systems, Lotus, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, and Solaris. To download a product, visit www.ecora.com.
Novell and Cambridge Technology Partners are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Cisco is a registered trademark of Cisco Systems. Solaris is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Microsoft and Windows NT are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation. Lotus and Domino are trademarks of Lotus Corporation. Ecora is a registered trademark of Ecora Software.