Microsoft upgrades software patching

Microsoft has unveiled a range of products to improve the manageability and security of Windows systems.

Windows Update Services, which has been released to beta testing, is "a major step forward in Microsoft's patch and update management strategy", according to the company.

An "evolution" of Software Update Services 1.0, Windows Update Services gives users additional automation and control to reduce interruption when updating systems, along with expanded functionality to update SQL Server, Exchange Server, Office 2003 and Office XP.

The company added that its Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 has entered its final beta cycle, while Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Express has been released to beta.

System Center 2005, Microsoft's first integrated management suite for Windows Server System, has also gone into beta, along with Systems Management Server 2003 Feature Packs.

The Device Management Feature Pack allows Systems Management Server 2003 to manage Windows-based devices running Windows CE, Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC and Smartphone software.

And the OS Deployment Feature Pack allows Systems Management Server to deliver bare-metal provisioning of desktops for IT professionals.

Bob Muglia, senior vice president of Microsoft's Windows server division, explained the company's new Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI).

According to an Accenture study, IT professionals spend up to 70 per cent of their time maintaining existing systems, he said. With the DSI, Microsoft aims to reduce this maintenance ratio to 55 per cent by automating many of the routine tasks associated with updating systems and deploying applications.

Whereas management software is applied after applications are deployed in the enterprise, Microsoft said it would shift this "operational intelligence" into the application itself, reducing the need for traditional management software.

System Definition Model will provide a common language for describing a system across its life cycle, from design through to deployment and ongoing operations, to enable IT professionals to deliver better application performance and increased productivity.

"Our approach with DSI is to help customers get every dollar out of their IT investments by making software more manageable from the ground up," added Muglia.