GFI builds on its vulnerability assessment heritage with LANguard 9.0, a network vulnerability and patch management tool that can tell whether the system being scanned is physical or virtual and, with one click, can launch a remote desktop connection to scanned Microsoft Windows clients. The tool is crucial for network security consultants and a solid choice for SMBs, though larger enterprises will probably want to find something more scalable. Patch management comes through tight integration with Microsoft's Windows Software Update Services, a free tool used to deploy updates to various versions of Windows Server 2000 and Windows XP, and other Microsoft applications.
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eWEEK Labs Says GFI LANguard 9.0 a Useful Network Security tool for SMBs
By Matthew D. Sarrel
Startup
When GFI LANguard 9.0 starts up, you are presented with the most common scanning choices. After selecting a type of scan to perform, you're guided through a series of steps. The most flexible option is Launch a Custom Scan.
Dashboard
The dashboard shows security status at a glance as well as a trend of vulnerabilities over time. Note that 192.168.10.22 has a high vulnerability level.ScanningScanning individual machines is simplified by well-structured reports. It's easy to see which vulnerabilities exist and which patches need to be deployed.
ScanningScanning individual machines is simplified by well-structured reports. It's easy to see which vulnerabilities exist and which patches need to be deployed.
Sorting by Vulnerability
After a full scan (15,000+ vulnerabilities), it's easy to sort by vulnerability severity. Here, I've expanded the software inventory. You can see "GTA San Andreas," the game, in the middle of the list. I could right-click and choose to remove this application.
Hardware Report
This is the hardware report from the same scan. Information provided includes drives, processors, USB devices, memory and motherboard.
Approval
Before security updates and service packs can be deployed to Windows workstations, the administrator must approve them. This allows for testing before deployment.
Deployment Status
After choosing computers to update and patches to deploy, I watched as deployment status was updated. On the workstation, the user was prompted to reboot after patching.
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GFI builds on its vulnerability assessment heritage with LANguard 9.0, a network vulnerability and patch management tool that can tell whether the system being scanned is physical or virtual and, with one click, can launch a remote desktop connection to scanned Microsoft Windows clients. The tool is crucial for network security consultants and a solid choice for SMBs, though larger enterprises will probably want to find something more scalable. Patch management comes through tight integration with Microsoft's Windows Software Update Services, a free tool used to deploy updates to various versions of Windows Server 2000 and Windows XP, and other Microsoft applications.