On the 20th of September 2024, Microsoft officially announced the end of Windows Server Update Services. It is important to mention that WSUS deprecation won’t affect its existing features or support through the Microsoft Configuration Manager in order to address and fix issues when they arise. Meaning that they will keep supporting their clients endpoints that rely on WSUS to be provided with necessary Windows Updates. Despite that fact, the tech giant won’t invest in the release of new features of Windows Server Update Services because of the transition to new and more advanced solutions like cloud services, which are the future of Windows autopatch, providing timely updates and fixes of the issues that arise on a daily basis.
Microsoft’s announcement may surprise its customers because they got used to solely relying on WSUS for Windows updates and patch management solutions for decades. As we know, patch management is an essential part of keeping every enterprise properly functioning and fixing software and security vulnerabilities in order to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting them, and, of course, ensuring business continuity and uninterrupted processes.
What is Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)?
Windows Server Update Services is a software developed by Microsoft that is known as an update management tool that enables IT administrators to distribute and manage updates and patches for all Windows operating systems and a variety of Microsoft products across the organization’s network. With this tool, you can approve, test, and deploy these updates and patches to your computers, Windows servers, and other network devices. WSUS offers centralized management, which allows every administrator to fully control update distribution from a single console, which we have to admit is quite user-friendly. Another advantage of WSUS is that it offers the ability to download updates once and install them locally, which significantly optimizes bandwidth usage.
Another core strength is the option to customize update deployment by choosing which particular updates to approve and even schedule the installation, providing you with the necessary flexibility while managing the whole process. This tool is able to enhance the security of every enterprise by facilitating timely patching of existing or newly found vulnerabilities, which of course leads to improved overall network security and performance. It is a well-known fact that cybercriminals are able to penetrate an endpoint by exploiting known vulnerabilities in outdated software.
One of the WSUS’s key features is the automation of the update processes, meaning that you can configure it to automatically approve and deploy critical updates, which results in reduced manual workload of your IT staff, giving these teams the opportunity to focus on more important tasks instead of installing updates manually. Another benefit of using WSUS is the fact that it supports updates from a wide range of Microsoft products, not just Windows operating systems, making it a unique tool for maintaining software up-to-date across an organization. Thus, you provide yourself with peace of mind knowing that the chance to become the next victim of a cyberattack is minimized almost to zero.
How will WSUS deprecation impact the enterprise environments?
Microsoft’s announcement for the Windows Server Update services depreciation marks the upcoming shift in the enterprise update management. This change will impact every enterprise, no matter its size, because these companies have long relied on WSUS for maintaining their Windows environments. This could be a hard transition because WSUS has been a cornerstone and a primary tool of update management for millions of organizations around the world. Microsoft’s software is definitely a handy and effective service solution, offering a centralized platform that controls and distributes updates across different networks and endpoints.
As per one of the latest researches made by PC Magazine, more than 50% of these business owners now ask themselves how that fact will affect their business and what will be their salvation in this situation. One thing is for sure: there will be a necessity for a reevaluation of patch management strategies in enterprise settings. Every organization that earlier relied on WSUS will have to adapt their processes and potentially invest in new software in order to ensure their systems remain secure, up-to-date, and properly functional.
Most of the enterprises already have concerns about potential disruption to existing workflows. Why is that? Because, as we already mentioned earlier, many companies have built their update processes around WSUS, often integrating it with other management tools with the main purpose of customizing it to fit their specific needs.
Meaning that the deprecation will require these organizations to revamp their update strategy and policies and retrain their IT staff on the new systems.
What are the reasons for Microsoft to deprecate WSUS?
The real question is: Why has Microsoft taken that critical decision to end the era of WSUS? The answer is quite simple, because every technology or piece of software has its own lifecycle, and at some point it must step out of the stage in order for new and more advanced solutions to take their place.
The key aspect here is that the tech giant’s decision to phase out WSUS and deprecate WSUS driver synchronization aligns with Microsoft’s broader strategy of moving towards cloud solutions, which offer greater flexibility and reduced on-premises infrastructure requirements. The tech giant encourages its users to shift to Windows Update for Business, Microsoft Intune for client update management, or Azure Update Manager for server update management. It is important to mention that organizations will have the option to decide if they want to keep using the existing WSUS functionality (without further active development) or to embrace cloud-based tools for their Windows devices.
On the other hand, the shift to cloud-based update management may present challenges for some enterprises. Because there are organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements or those operating in heavily regulated industries might face complications when adopting cloud tools. In fact, these companies will need to carefully evaluate their options and potentially seek a hybrid solution that can meet their compliance needs while still providing efficient update management.
The deprecation of WSUS also raises questions and concerns about cost implications. Because the solution that these companies used until now has no additional cost for properly licensed clients, and the new tools, such as cloud-based driver services, will come with additional expenses.
On the flip side, the shift from WSUS presents opportunities for modernization. It is a well-known fact that newer update management tools offer advanced features, such as AI-driven patch prioritization, enhanced security and reporting capabilities, and last but not least, improved integration with other IT management systems.
Equipping your company with such tools will definitely position you a step ahead of the countless cybersecurity threats that are stalking around the corner to strike in the right moment. Having such software on your side is a necessity because when the COVID-19 crisis hit the world, the majority of the companies embraced remote work practices, which led to an immense increase in cyberattacks; actually, they have quadrupled since 2019.
Another aspect to consider is the impact on network bandwidth. Windows Server Update Services offer organizations the ability to download updates once and deploy them locally, which is particularly beneficial for companies with limited internet connectivity. Now, when enterprises move to cloud-based solutions, they will need to reassess their network infrastructure to ensure it can handle increased internet traffic for updates.
Nevertheless, Microsoft has not yet announced a specific end-of-life date, meaning that organizations have some breathing room to plan their transition effectively. However, IT departments are obligated to start evaluating alternatives sooner rather than later in order to ensure a smooth migration when the time comes.
As we mentioned earlier, WSUS depreciation may cause some disruption, but it also offers an opportunity for every organization, no matter its size, to modernize their update management practices. By carefully assessing and acknowledging their needs and evaluating alternatives through planning the transition, these companies can turn this challenge into a chance to enhance their IT operations and security posture.
What can IT Administrators and Businesses do to prepare for a WSUS transition?
IT administrators must prepare for the significant change in update management properly in order to ensure a smooth organization transition. To do so, they should focus on several key areas. One of the most important aspects is assessing current WSUS usage, such as device inventory, custom policies, and of course integrations with other IT tools.
Evaluating these aspects will definitely provide every organization with a clear picture of what needs to be replaced or reconfigured. Next in line is to research for alternative solutions. As we already know, Microsoft is encouraging its users to shift to cloud-based solutions like Windows Update for Business and Intune or Azure Update Manager for server update management, but you must research third-party solutions that may be a better option for the specific needs of your organization.
If you ask yourself how to opt for the right vendor, don’t panic; we are here to help with this tough task by mentioning the most important features to consider when selecting third-party software to replace WSUS:
- Compatibility: Support for a wide range of operating systems and applications, including non-Microsoft products.
- Centralized management: A user-friendly console for managing updates across the entire network from a single point.
- Customization: Ability to create and manage tailored update policies for different device groups or departments.
- Reporting and analytics: Detailed insights into update status, compliance levels, and potential vulnerabilities.
- Bandwidth optimization: features like peer-to-peer distribution or local update caching to reduce network strain.
- Security focus: automatic monitoring for missing patches, vulnerability assessments, and rapid deployment of critical updates.
- Integration capabilities: seamless connection with existing IT management tools and processes.
- Scalability: ability to handle current needs and grow with the organization
- Automation: Features like automatic approval and deployment of certain patches, and automated testing and rollback procedures.
- Cloud readiness: cloud-based management options or hybrid capabilities for flexible deployment.
- Third-party application support: ability to manage updates for a broad range of software beyond Microsoft products.
After choosing the best third-party solution for your company, developing a detailed transition plan outlining the steps for migration to the new software is vital. Consider a phased approach, starting with a pilot group before full deployment. Keep in mind that comprehensive training with your IT staff is a must in order to ensure that they are proficient with the new system. Next in line is reviewing and updating your overall patch management policies. Reassess update schedules, testing procedures, and compliance requirements in order to align with current cybersecurity best practices.
Another fundamental aspect to consider is the financial implications of the transition. As we discussed earlier, WSUS has no additional costs for properly licensed client; third-party solutions involve additional expenses, so as a business owner, you have to plan your budget properly. Last but not least, it is necessary to think about the opportunity to modernize your IT infrastructure by considering adoption of more advanced practices such as AI-driven patch prioritization or enhanced security measures.
By focusing on these key aspects and starting preparations early, your organization can pass through the WSUS transition successfully with minimal implications. With careful planning and execution, this transition can lead to more efficient, secure, and future-proof update management systems.
Action1 as an alternative to WSUS
We live in a digital world where every business organization is seeking robust, flexible, and secure patch management solutions. Since its launch in 2005, Windows Server Update Services has been a staple for many companies around the world, but its limitations nowadays are becoming increasingly apparent in the face of modern organization challenges. For that reason, many business owners had to focus their efforts on providing themselves with advanced, modern, and flexible patch management solutions that meet their needs and requirements. Action1 emerges as a perfect alternative by offering a comprehensive suite of features that are able to address the disadvantages of WSUS and provide enhanced functionality for today’s diverse and distributed work environments.
Windows Server Update Services is known as a cost-effective solution for Windows OS updates. However, nowadays it is not meeting the needs of the organizations, forcing them to migrate to other, more advanced patching tools. The tech giant’s software is currently not able to support work-from-home employees, which is one of it’s biggest weaknesses, especially since COVID-19 hit the world and remote work has conquered our lives.
Furthermore, this tool lacks comprehensive third-party application update capabilities without complex integrations, which of course demands significant manual oversight because of the minimal automation. This limitation emerges as a huge problem because patch automation is a very important feature for every business organization around the world, providing IT teams with the opportunity to concentrate their efforts on more important tasks instead of installing patches manually, which is a time-consuming process.
On the other hand, Action1 addresses these pain points head-on by providing a cloud-native platform that equips every company with a variety of benefits. Unlike WSUS, Action1 has one critical advantage: it supports both on-site and remote endpoints, ensuring consistent patch management across your entire organization’s network regardless of your employees location. This feature has a key role in today’s dynamic work-from-home era we live in, where traditional on-premise solutions fall short. But let’s dive deeper in order to understand why Action1 is better than WSUS.
OS and Third-Party Patching
One of Action1’s standout features is its comprehensive approach to the patching process. While WSUS is focusing on Windows OS updates, Action1 is providing you and your organization with the ability to automate the entire patching process for both operating systems (Windows, macOS) and third-party applications with real-time progress status. Additionally, you can benefit from automatic patch approval with an optional delay after release to avoid deployment of broken updates.
You have even the ability to target a group of endpoints and customize your update schedule, apply patches based on severity, and update sources with manual patch approval for automatic deployment. Also, there is an option to ensure a fully customizable and user-friendly reboot process. Thus, eliminating the need for complex integrations with tools like System Center Configuration System (SCCM), leading to a much more simplified IT management process.
Vulnerability Remediation
Nowadays, system vulnerabilities are the main concern of every business owner because of the countless cybercriminals that are stalking us around the corner in order to strike at the right moment by exploiting known vulnerabilities. This can lead to serious consequences for every organization, such as infecting your endpoints with malware software, data exfiltration, and, of course, ransomware attacks.
Vulnerability management is another aspect that we have focused on in order to provide peace of mind to our clients by equipping them with real-time vulnerability detection and enforced remediation capabilities, proactively preventing security breaches and ransomware attacks. Vulnerabilities are being assessed based on their potential impact on remediation deadlines. Our software also automates remediation of third-party and OS vulnerabilities based on your organization’s SLA or compliance needs. This feature stands out in contrast to WSUS, which is known for lacking built-in vulnerability assessment tools.
Reporting capabilities
Action1 offers comprehensive reporting features that provide unparalleled visibility into your network:
- Real-time visibility of all endpoints, regardless of location or connection method.
- Over 100 pre-built reports covering patching, software and hardware inventory, security configuration, and more.
- Reports combine real-time data from connected endpoints with cached data from offline devices.
- Summary and detailed drill-down reports.
- Flexible report delivery: subscribe via email or export to CSV
This robust reporting system ensures you have the most up-to-date and comprehensive information about your network’s status and security posture at your fingertips.
Software Repository
Action1 offers 99% patching coverage for most enterprise environments plus the ability to patch custom apps, coupled with real-time progress status updates, to ensure that your organization’s systems are up-to-date and secured. Thus, you guarantee yourself and your business improved patch success rates by automatically installing patches even on offline endpoints as soon as they reconnect to the network.
P2P Distribution
Our P2P distribution feature accelerates software and update deployment of large updates while preserving network bandwidth for critical applications.
Real-time visibility
Action1’s capabilities on real-time visibility provide instant insights into endpoint vulnerabilities, eliminating the need for periodic scans. The continuous monitoring approach, coupled with a live dashboard for SLA-based patch compliance, offers a level of oversight that WSUS simply cannot match.
Enterprise Scalability
Next in line, our product provides organizations with the necessary scalability. The cloud-native architecture allows businesses to swiftly scale from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of endpoints in order to meet your company’s growth needs without any additional investments in building on-premise infrastructure or using VPNs. Which is a critical advantage because it lowers per endpoint cost, making it an economically viable solution for growing businesses.
Integration capabilities
Action1 offers powerful integration features to streamline IT operations and enhance security.
Active Directory Integration:
- Automated agent deployment across multiple domains
- Customizable filters based on system type or AD organizational units (OUs)
- Dynamic endpoint grouping leveraging AD OUs and security groups
- Ensures groups remain synchronized with your AD structure
API Capabilities:
- API access for seamless integration with advanced security tools
- Compatible with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems
- Works with Extended Detection and Response (XDR) platforms
These integration capabilities allow for efficient endpoint management aligned with your AD hierarchy while also enabling data exchange with your existing security infrastructure for comprehensive threat detection and response.
Data storage locations
We all know how important nowadays data sovereignty is, so we have taken care of that too. Action1 has data storage locations in the USA, Europe, and Australia, but we won’t stop there; we are planning for expansion and opening more data centers because of the growth of our company. This flexibility in data storage locations helps our clients meet various regulatory requirements.
Security and Compliance
Security and compliance certifications distinguish Action1 in the market as the first patch management-focused vendor that is certified for SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and TX-RAMP. We’re committed to upholding the most stringent security standards, positioning us as a reliable partner in safeguarding your organization’s information and maintaining cybersecurity integrity, providing you with the following security features:
- Enforced app-based MFA
- Single-Sign-On: Entra ID, Okta, etc.
- TLS 1.2/AES 256 agent protocol
- IP restrictions
- Role-based access
- Audit trail
- Malware patch scanning
- Patch assurance
Our strong commitment to data protection and cybersecurity is evident through our thorough policies and strict certifications. To learn more about all of our security practices, visit: https://www.action1.com/security/
Fast and easy 5-minute setup
Another important aspect to consider is the remarkably easy and straightforward software implementation, with a 5-minute setup process that allows every organization to start patching endpoints almost immediately, as they say, with the speed of a blink of an eye. This ease of deployment contrasts sharply with the complex setup and maintenance required by WSUS.
As organizations continue to grapple with the challenges of maintaining secure and up-to-date IT environments, our platform provides scalable, efficient, secure, and user-friendly patch management solution that meet the needs and requirements of our clients.
Don’t waste any more time and start your Action1 journey today in order to provide yourself and your organization with patch management software that simply works. If you are still hesitant about our product, remember that Action1 provides a fully featured account at no cost for your first 100 endpoints, giving you access to our complete suite of features without any functional restrictions. This account never expires, allowing you to thoroughly evaluate our solution in your test environment or use it indefinitely in your small business setting.
Whether you’re looking to explore Action1’s features extensively before making a commitment or seeking a long-term solution for your organization, our software provides the flexibility you need. Contact us and become part of our family; we guarantee you that you won’t regret it for a second!
