If your company makes use of Microsoft WSUS and SCCM security patching, you need to ensure that any security software you use will recognise and be capable of integrating successfully with these systems. Relying on SCCM alone will not usually offer the level of security a business requires for its systems and sensitive files, as this tool is not able to track third party software inventory, making integration with more sophisticated security solutions essential for safeguarding your business data.

SCCM updates can be configured through the WSUS console, though this also has shortcomings, as updates need to be arranged manually. Configuring updates through the SCCM's Updates Section console allows automatic patching to be set up, but this can still result in administrators receiving more alerts than needed, each time a program requests internet access or detects suspicious activity.

It's therefore recommended that businesses make use of third party security and vulnerability management systems to control updates to Microsoft WSUS and SCCM and other software, by delivering targeted, relevant alerts to the right people and learning to distinguish false alarms and other irrelevant alerts from more pertinent issues. Making sure that your security software delivers real-time alerts as soon as problems are detected could also give you greater confidence that any potential vulnerabilities are being taken care of before these are exploited and a breach occurs.

There are several key things to look for when choosing the right patch management tool for your company, including its compatibility with the operating systems you run and all software. If you are using Microsoft WSUS and SCCM, you should check that your software inspector tool can recognise all programs running on Microsoft Windows computers, as well as other operating systems such as Apple Mac OS X if these are used on other computers, laptops and devices in your business.

When you choose vulnerability management software that offers ease of use, you won't have to hire your own network security staff or learn the complexities of security yourself, and you may also be able to choose the level of autonomy you prefer - whether you wish for all patch updates to be dealt with automatically by the system, or to be alerted when these become available. If more than one administrator is responsible for your networks or programs, details of security scans, upgrades and other processes can also be easily sent via email or XML once completed.

Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.