Committed to its new Strategic Technology Protection Program (STPP), Microsoft has increased the development and support of products surrounding its software update and security process program. Recently released update-focused products include Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS), Windows Update, and an update handler for Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2.0. Microsoft has targeted these products, which scan and automatically deploy updates to your systems, to large, comprehensive deployments. To complement these patch-deployment systems—or to implement a simple update-detection system—you can use the small yet agile and feature-packed Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) to regularly scan your network. MBSA not only scans local and remote systems for patch-update status but also performs more than 65 vulnerability-scanning tests specific to Microsoft products. And although MBSA doesn't patch your systems or plug your holes, the product's fast and lightweight approach provides a quick and efficient method for canvassing your systems for common vulnerabilities. . . .
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