Kaseya VSA: Software Management vs. Patch Management

Kaseya VSA: Software Management vs. Patch Management

What are the Software and Patch Management Modules?

As an MSP, you know that endpoint patching is one of the most important functions that your RMM can provide. Keeping your endpoints up to date increases security and client satisfaction. Kaseya VSA provides two main ways to accomplish this goal: Patch Management, and the newer Software Management modules. Below you will find a brief overview of each, along with their main differences.

Patch Management

The Patch Management Module in Kaseya is the tried-and-true patching solution and has been around for as long as the VSA itself has. This module will be eventually sunset by Kaseya, but not for a few more years, at least. The Patch Management console uses it’s own Kaseya-developed patching engine to deploy patches (and the native OS engine to scan for them)

Software Management

The software management module is the newer of the two available patching methods. It supports a wider range of endpoints, and is generally more compatible than it’s older sibling. Software management uses the endpoint’s native patching engine to scan and deploy patches. It also supports native 3rd party patching (with a separately purchase license).

Which solution should I choose?

It’s an interesting choice, and one that should be considered carefully. There are pros and cons to each module to be considered. These are listed below, for each module.

Patch management Pros & Cons:

Pros

Cons
  • More mature software, with better support and documentation.
  • Will be sunset in favor of Software management in the coming years, meaning a migration will eventually be necessary.
  • Considered by the community to be more stable than Software management (i.e. less bugs)
  • No further development aside from security patching
  • 3rd party application patching not natively supported. Non-Windows Operating Systems not supported.

Software Management Pros & Cons:

Pros

Cons
  • Highly compatible with multiple endpoint types. Software management supports Mac, Linux, and Windows.
  • Less “mature,” While well documented by Kaseya, less forum and support documentation exists online. Support team is less experienced with Software Management than it’s predecessor.
  • More explicit configuration options to separate scans and deployment, overrides, and more.
  • Migrating from Patch Management to Software Management can be difficult. While there is a tool for this within the VSA, it’s not perfect.

 

Basically, it depends on your end-goal. If your environment contains a mix of endpoints of different operating system, if you need 3rd party application update support, or if you want to avoid the migration later, go with Software management. If you prefer the stability of a tried-and-true product, and most of the endpoints that you need to patch are Windows, definitely choose Patch management. We do recommend that you apply a single solution to your entire VSA.

I still need more help!

Still stuck on deciding which of these two solutions are best for your organization? We know that making the perfect choice for your clients can be tough, and we can help. ProVal Technologies helps MSPs like you complete difficult implementations every day. Give us a call and see how we can help you!

 

Written by: Dan Hicks - RMM Admin