Patch Management and Endpoint Security

Patching is boring; but then again, cyberattacks provide the kind of excitement nobody wants. The best of both worlds is to automate patching so you can free up time to work on the strategic projects that actually do excite you.

Every device accessing your data is an attack vector. If it is not patched, it is dangerous. KACE Unified Endpoint Management Solutions give you the flexibility you need to patch all your devices the way you want to – both now and in the future – to help prevent cyberattacks.

Both products can be used on a standalone basis or together as a fully integrated solution giving you the best of both traditional and modern endpoint management methods.

KACE Cloud

KACE Cloud is ideal for organizations who want to manage all or some of their remote Windows, Mac, iOS and Android users without the investment and maintenance of infrastructure required to support it.

KACE SMA

KACE System Management Appliance (SMA) adds management of servers, non-computer devices like printers and IoT devices as well as asset management, vulnerability scanning, scripting, and other features as well.

Integrating KACE Cloud & SMA

While using either solution on a standalone basis is a good approach, seamless integration of KACE Cloud and SMA has several advantages.

KACE Cloud
KACE SMA
Integrate KACE Cloud & SMA
With the advent of modern management in the cloud, you can now manage Windows and Mac computers the same way you can your iOS and Android devices.

Compared to traditional management, cloud management is especially effective for managing remote users. You can ship a pre-enrolled laptops to remote employees who simply enter their credentials and – just like that - they are up and running. It’s all managed by your provider so there is less setup and no infrastructure to worry about. You never have to upgrade your endpoint management system, add more servers or re-negotiate long term contracts. That is why many organizations are making the move to the cloud.

And there are several well-known endpoint management system products out there to help. What makes KACE Cloud Patch different? Two main things. Third party application patching and pricing.

Most solutions will do a fairly good job of updating your devices’ operation systems – granted, not at the granular level KACE Cloud does. But here is the thing - they don’t patch your third party applications like Adobe ], Cisco, Chrome, Slack, Zoom, etc. So, you are stuck with having to purchase and manage a second solution for that. KACE Cloud Patch gives you the huge advantage of doing all your OS upgrades and your 3rd party application patches – over 300,000 of them - for your entire enterprise – all from one solution.

KACE Cloud tests and verifies OS and application patches before adding them to your catalog to prevent the deployment of defective patches and updates .

And use the power of perpetual policy enforcement when administering apps, location rules, Windows custom profiles, or security standards - you can maintain your configuration standards across every endpoint in your environment without end-user involvment.

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The KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) includes robust patch management software you can host either on premises or as in a platform as a service arrangement in the cloud. Automate software patch management and deploy patches from one of the largest patch libraries in the industry. Achieve peace of mind by patching and updating your Windows, Linux and Mac platforms, as well as potentially vulnerable third-party applications such as Microsoft Office, Zoom, Adobe Reader, and many more.

The KACE SMA patch management software automatically sends out patch updates, but the solution optionally gives end users some control over the process. You can set deadlines that define when a patch must be installed, and users can choose when their patch updates and system reboot happen so that work is not disrupted. Administrators also have a good experience, in that they can coordinate patch updates across complex and distributed user bases while maintaining visibility into the patching phases on a per-machine basis.

Comprehensive patch management and deployment

From the servers in your data center to end user computers to Point of Service (PoS) kiosk devices running embedded OSs get powerful administrative capabilities including customizable and automated patch scheduling based on dynamic filtering so you can right-size your patching plan for your business.

The Smart Labels feature in the KACE SMA patch management software allow you to classify your endpoints and updates using self-selected parameters. Device labels can include criteria such as make and model, location, operating system and other designations, and the update labels can utilize criteria such as release date, severity, classifications, vendor and more. You can combine labels when you’d like to take a specific action on widespread or granular groupings of endpoints.

Employ remote replication for multiple worksites

Significantly reduce the network impact of large patch deployments with remote-replication capabilities. The KACE SMA patch management software enables you to designate one computer in a remote subnet to kick off Wake-On-Lan during off hours for patching and distribution.

The KACE SMA patch management data is sent once over your network to the replication share, and all other systems at that remote office can then directly pull patches from the designated remote replication share through the LAN instead of from the KACE SMA — without the need for dedicated hardware or personnel at the remote facility.

Simplify configuration management and security policy enforcement

Streamline configuration and security policy enforcement processes, such as firewall, browser and registry settings, for Windows, Mac and Linux systems by automatically deploying scripts based on specific conditions, or manually running a script based on need. Easily create scripts that target individual systems, a specific group of systems or an entire network – or use a variety of pre-built scripts.
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Using KACE Cloud for your iOS and Android devices and mixing and matching KACE Cloud and SMA for your Windows and Mac management gives you complete flexibility to transition all or some of your devices to traditional or modern management based on your organizations needs now and in the future.

Other endpoint management functions

While patching is often the primary reason organizations look into automating their patch management, there are other important considerations when it comes to integration of modern and traditional management.

Reporting - Having one repository containing all your organization’s device information gives you the means to turn data into actionable information. Using information for business insights is barely possible if your data is stored in multiple disparate buckets. 

Asset Management - Powerful lifecycle hardware asset management – from ordering through deployment to decommissioning and disposal – prevents losses and waster. Software asset management automates software and regulatory compliance reporting, while easily identifying and recovering cover unused/underused software.

Discovery – Knowing which devices should be accessing your data and which should not helps protect against breaches that can compromise your company, employee and customer’s private data harm your brand and bottom line.  

Service Desk – This optional functionality uses built-in inventory and user data to streamline helpdesk admin troubleshooting, automate employee onboarding and other processes with IT, HR, Finance and other departments.  

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