PATCHLINK UPDATE(TM) 5.0 MAKES A LONG-HELD SECURITY BEST-PRACTICE A REALISTIC GOAL

The First Enterprise Patch Management Tool to Provide IT Administrators With Role-based Administration, Now Also Includes Graphical Reporting

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (PRWEB) June 6, 2003 - Further establishing the course of patch management and the role its automated, cross-platform patch management software plays in helping IT administrators protect their enterprises from the associated risks of security vulnerabilities (i.e., SQL Slammer), PatchLinkâ Corporation (www.patchlink.com) today announced the availability of PatchLink Update(TM) 5.0 while exhibiting at Microsoft Tech·Ed 2003 at the Dallas Convention Center (Booth #857). Now incorporating Windows Server 2003 compatibility, PatchLink Update 5.0 also provides IT administrators with user management functionality that is in great demand defined as role-based administration"; fully customizable graphical reporting; as well as the ability to assess patch compliancy by groups of computers, application, or severity.

By making available highly reliable solutions specifically intended for the automated deployment of security patches and updates for a broad variety of applications across multiple platforms, PatchLink Corporation gives IT administrators the ability to ensure that these and other patches and updates are addressed quickly and comprehensively," said PatchLink CEO Sean Moshir. By embracing the Windows Server 2003 platform, we extend this capability even further, becoming one of Microsofts ISVs to fully commit to platform support within the first 90 days of release."

The volume of security vulnerabilities is growing at 100 percent annually, with supplier-issued patches increasing at a comparable pace," said Eric Hemmendinger, research director for security and privacy at Aberdeen Group. Manual approaches to patch deployment will fail because the volume is quickly outstripping the ability of IT staff to keep up. PatchLink Update is a clear example of solutions that are designed explicitly to address this problem for IT, saving time and money without a loss of control."

Enhancing the award-winning PatchLink Updates ability to serve as an enterprise-class tool, role-based administration gives IT administrators the ability to specifically designate how and who is permitted to release patches and updates throughout an entire organization. Fully customizable graphical reporting based on the Microsoft .NET framework and powered by Crystal Reports facilitates an IT administrators responsibility for justifying patch compliance as well as an effective method for debriefing management on an organizations current patch status and/or network vulnerability.

Following extensive discussions with our customers, it was clear that PatchLink could further improve patch management best practices with the addition of these important features to PatchLink Update," continued Moshir. PatchLink Update provides a safety net for developer-induced security issues and through its automation is simply more efficient and comprehensive."

Many companies and government agencies such as the U.S. departments of Treasury and Agriculture, RKA Petroleum Companies, and Wells Fargo Bank have made patch management an integral part of their security programs. PatchLink Update recently earned Network Worlds Blue Ribbon Award" in a head-to-head product comparison of Windows patch management products; is a Government Computer News Best New Technology Awards" finalist; is a Network Computing 2003 Well-Connected Award" finalist in the System Management Suite" category; and was awarded the Editors Choice" by Network Computing and named the number-one tool for patch security in their head-to-head product comparison.

Availability & Pricing

PatchLink Update 5.0 will be available to customers on June 30th through PatchLink Corporations reseller/VAR network and direct sales program. The addition of role-based administration to PatchLink Update now allows resellers and VARs to sell patch management services to their clientele.   

To immediately realize the features and benefits of PatchLink Update, go to www.patchlink.com and click on Request Evaluation" to receive a free, fully functional evaluation of the product. The evaluation includes 10 licenses and is available for a 14-day trial period.

PatchLink Update 5.0 corporate pricing for Microsoft server software begins at $1,249. PatchLink Update single-user licensing, including an annual subscription and maintenance, is $15 per single-user (minimum 10-user license) for Windows and $120 for UNIX, Linux, NetWare, and Mac operating systems. Contact PatchLink for promotional and desktop pricing at 480.970.1025, option 1.

PatchLink Corporation provides an in-depth discussion of its agent-based architecture in a white paper that is available online at http://www.patchlink.com/support/documents/PUW4.html.

ABOUT PATCHLINK CORPORATION
Established in 1991, PatchLink Corporation has built a strong reputation in providing quality software products at substantial savings to system and networking professionals. PatchLink Corporation is a leading provider of patent-pending enterprise patch detection and deployment software and is one of the first companies to offer this capability over the Internet. The Companys software sets a new standard for the assessment and prevention of patch-related security breaches, in addition to monitoring and incident reporting. Additionally, the Company maintains and markets WebConsole® IT Management Suite. PatchLink Corporation products are installed on more than 2 million network servers and workstations worldwide. For additional information on PatchLink, visit www.patchlink.com.

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Copyright (C) 2003 PatchLink Corporation. All rights reserved. PatchLink(R), the PatchLink logo, and the PatchLink product names and logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of PatchLink Corporation. In addition, other companies' names and products mentioned in this document, if any, may be either registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.