Try creeping up on your nearest IT Manager and yelling 'It's Patch Tuesday'! If he doesn't faint, shake uncontrollably and/or cry then he's probably a 1E customer..
Once a month ('Patch Tuesday') we are asked to rollout the latest Microsoft updates to all PCs, and here's a nice little piece by Dan Raywood that was pinged over to me today as it seems that this month's Patch Tuesday is one of those 'tricky' ones.
So, in essence there are a whole heap of updates that need to be rolled out, some requiring reboots (which is always tricky). To quote from the article: "IT leaders and their organisations should be prepared for the disruption that can accompany the process of rebooting all Microsoft systems."
However, if you are a 1E customer, Tuesdays can be just another day..
One of the most important ways that 1E software can assist in the smooth running of IT departments is in helping to manage this very process. Our NightWatchman software gracefully manages reboots by ensuring that user documentation and programs can be safely closed and any work saved. Obviously keeping users happy during these patch rollouts is of primary importance.
Secondly, our 1E WakeUp software will ensure that the entire desktop population can be powered on at the correct time in order to install the updates. Having this capability is extremely powerful, giving you the ability to 'batch rollout' patches at staged times throughout the evening, department by department.
Overall this makes for a more controlled (and controllable) approach to the headache of multiple patches and reboots.
By combining the flexibility of Microsoft System Center and 1E software, This Patch Tuesday (and indeed ALL Tuesdays) need not be the source of sleepless nights for IT managers.
Read the complete post at http://www.1e.com/1EBlogs/post/2009/07/14/Dont-like-Tuesdays.aspx