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In today’s cybersecurity space, properly patching the machines and servers in your company can make the difference between a well-secured organization and a vulnerable one. SCCM is one of the most popular system management solutions on the market and has been for some years, but it’s not the only one. In today’s article, we will be talking about SCCM, how it works, and why you should consider an alternative based on the needs of your organization.
What Is SCCM?
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) is a software management and lifecycle management platform for Microsoft devices, applications, and servers, now known as the Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager and bundled into the Endpoint Manager suite.
SCCM makes it easier to manage, deploy, and protect Windows apps and devices in an organization. The solution is typically used by admins for endpoint protection, patching, and distributing software simultaneously on multiple Windows-powered machines.
How SCCM Works?
Functionality-wise, SCCM extends WSUS’s patch deployment capabilities, especially in the area of third-party software and BYOD management. Although not entirely, the technique does expand the capabilities for patching and updating third-party applications. In some instances, manually deploying packages is required to resolve compatibility, versioning, and (infrastructure) upscaling problems.
However, SCCM can be complex and difficult to use, particularly for smaller organizations. In addition, SCCM requires a significant investment in time and resources to deploy and maintain.
If your company doesn’t use Windows exclusively, you’ll need a number of additional technologies from outside the Microsoft ecosystem to successfully manage your workstations and devices. An all-in-one endpoint management software that offers visibility through a single pane of glass would be a superior choice for your organization.
Limitations to SCCM
There are several limitations to SCCM that make it less than ideal for patch management:
- Limited Support: One such limitation is its limited support for non-Windows operating systems. This means that if you have a mixed environment with both Windows and non-Windows systems, you’ll need to use a different tool for patching the non-Windows systems. Given the fact that SCCM was designed for Windows devices, there is limited support for Mac and Linux. A Windows server is necessary to run the platform, ruling out immediately many cross-platform environments.
- Lack of Granular Control: Another limitation of SCCM is its lack of granular control over patch deployments. With SCCM, you can only deploy patches to an entire collection of devices at once. This can be problematic if you need to deploy a critical security patch to a small group of devices but don’t want to disrupt the rest of your organization with a mass deployment.
- Highly Complex: SCCM can be complex to set up and configure properly. This can lead to lengthy deployment times and potential errors that can impact the effectiveness of your patch management strategy.
- Limited Patching Capabilities for Third-Party Apps: Even if paired with WSUS, probably one of SCCM’s biggest limitations is its support for third-party patching. The inability to patch third-party applications, which most businesses use daily, leaves open vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit and put your company at risk.
- High Adoption Costs: Typically, SCCM is sold as a component of a bigger toolkit from Microsoft. And because its on-premise solution requires an SQL server to function, its cost increases due to continuing running costs and maintenance resources needed.
Why Consider an Alternative to SCCM
Based on the needs of your business, you might want to consider a more comprehensive solution instead of investing in an environment that properly sustains SCCM. SCCM works best on Windows devices, servers, and apps, with little to no support for third-party apps or other operating systems that you may have installed on your company’s machines, such as macOS or Linux.
SCCM can be a solution that sometimes may be hard to configure, leading to crashes, bugs, and improper deployment. Plus, to work properly it requires an SQL server, increasing your adoption costs of the solution.
Heimdal® Patch & Asset Management vs. SCCM
We can find similarities when comparing SCCM with our own Patch & Asset Management solution, but there are also some key differences between the two.
For example, compared to SCCM, which only covers a limited number of venues, Heimdal®’s Patch & Asset Management expands on all the available patching and updating technologies. Plus, Heimdal® provides your company with a solution capable of deploying updates and patches automatically (and silently). We talked before about how with SCCM you can deploy patches only to an entire collection of devices all at once. Our Patch & Asset Management solution allows you to deploy updates and patches granularly, choosing which devices you want to deliver the update to, and thus to not disrupt the rest of your organization’s operations with a mass deployment.
I said previously that when paired with WSUS, SCCM has some capabilities of deploying updates and patches to third-party apps, but it is limited, leaving a lot of open areas. Heimdal®’s solution can patch OS and Windows apps, as well as the most used third-party apps and other operating systems such as Linux and macOS.
Heimdal® also allows you to patch conveniently, on-the-fly, whenever you want it, from wherever you are. And by being fully customizable, you can tailor it for your company’s specific needs. Other features include:
- Scheduling and force-rebooting.
- HTTPS Micro-downloads from the Heimdal® CDN with LAN P2P.
- Vulnerability inventory and CVSS scoring system.
- Short TTM (time-to-market) <4 hours.
- Uninstalling supported software.
- Full compliance and CVE\CVSS audit trail.
Heimdal® Patch & Asset Management Software
- Schedule updates at your convenience;
- See any software assets in inventory;
- Global deployment and LAN P2P;
- And much more than we can fit in here...
Conclusion
Patch management is an important aspect of IT security, and a good patching solution can really make a difference. SCCM is a great solution for businesses that primarily use Microsoft apps and Windows, but it can be costly to implement and it lacks in some areas. Considering how today’s landscape is, an all-in-one solution that covers updates and patches coming from Microsoft and other third-parties is the one you should look for.
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Cristian is a Content Editor & Creator at Heimdal®, where he developed a deep understanding of the digital threat landscape. His style resonates with both technical and non-technical readers, proof being in his skill of communicating cybersecurity norms effectively, in an easy-to-understand manner.
