Software updates are one of the main areas of IT, mainly because of continuous security and enhancement updates. Microsoft usually releases a huge number of security updates each month, and even though they get criticised for this, GNU/Linux has a high number of updates as well, particularly Fedora which is treated as beta or cutting edge versions of free and open source software.
In Windows, software updates can be very complex to manage. In the past, SMS filled in the gaps and provided a platform for installing software and updates in the enterprise environment. But when dealing with 3rd party software like Adobe, Java, or any other vendor, the update command and switches can be totally different for each 3rd party package, which adds much more complexity. Windows Software Update Services (WSUS) and group policy are default mechanisms in place that can handle enterprise software management in Windows. But due to the complexity, some (very expensive) 3rd party solutions have appeared to fill in the extra gaps, like the Kace/Dell Kbox which is one of the leaders in this area. WSUS only handles Microsoft software, so group policy or SMS must be used for deploying other 3rd party software.

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