“Dealing with widespread worms like Sasser raises the cost of using Windows, a research analyst said Wednesday,” Gregg Keizer reports for TechWeb News. “Mark Nicolett, research director at Gartner, recommended that enterprises boost spending on patch management and intrusion prevention software to keep ahead of worms, which are appearing ever sooner after vulnerabilities in Windows are disclosed.”
“‘This is part of the carrying cost of using Windows,’ said Nicolett. ‘The cost of a Windows environment has gone up because enterprises have to install security patches very rapidly, deal with outages caused by secondary problems with these patches, and deploy additional layers of security technology.’ Although he placed some caveats on his numbers, Nicolett said that informal surveys with Gartner clients indicate that simply moving from a no rapid patch deployment capability to an ongoing process that can respond quickly to vulnerabilities raises the cost of using business by about 15 percent,” Keizer reports.
“Nicolett’s advice stemmed from the recent outbreak of the Sasser worm, which began striking Windows systems last Friday and has infected a large number of machines world-wide, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to well into the millions,” Keizer reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: What we really need is a study that shows how much Mac OS X costs to use over the long haul, with Software Update automatically doing its thing, and no viruses or worms or spyware or adware on constant attack. The results of such a study wouldn’t be very complimentary of Microsoft Windows TCO, it would seem.
While a bit off topic. Apple should include and automatic background run of repair permissions prior to (and after) an admin installing any software update. This is the recommended procedure anyway.
Zac
Yes, it should be automatic after the ‘cleanup’ that occurs during an install.
I use Konfabulator (konfabulator.com) to put widgets on my desktop. One of the available widgets I use is a Permissions Repair widget that pops up whenever it sees the Installer running asking if you want to repair permissions. If you click yes, it will repair permission after the install is complete (in the background) or after the restart, if necessary, and pops up a quick window to tell you it is finished.
I would also like to see the crons available to run in the System Preferences since some people don’t keep their computers awake past 3-4 a.m.
you know what else would be fascinating?? someone asking MS why they are so interested in vertical integration with a) the Xbox and b) the Athens PC…
apparently there’s another aspect of the beleaguered apple that has yet to be ripped off..
I just don’t understand why businesses use Windows.
I used to work for a newspaper and they had a really overweight woman who was Sales Manager but thought she knew everything about computers (she’d bought a copy of Quark 2 weeks earlier and called herself a ‘designer’), and I’ll always remember when she said to me “Apple have shot themselves in the foot by releasing OS X and dropping support for OS 9” Since that comment she has made sure that her entire department is kitted out with Dull Pee Cee’s. Thing is, they don’t work well at all. My girlfriend still works for the paper (but in another department) and says that they are always crashing and breaking down. They’ve got 4 full time IT staff…
I am in sole charge of 30 Macs and an Xserve. The last time the server crashed was because of something I did. They are on 24/7. I’ve just typed Uptime into Terminal on one machine and it’s been on for 39 days, yet still feels brand new.
That’s the difference. You install a Mac network and then let it run. You install a Pee Cee network and it grinds to a halt if you don’t care for it.
Well, there you have it, twelveightyone, if everyone traded in their Dulls for Macs & XServe, there’d be a lot of people out of work! I mean where would those 4 IT people in the Sales Manager dept???
Silly wabbits, PC’s are for kids!
Not entirely accurate, I make my living installing and supporting Apple networks. (I love when I get to rip and replace MS Crap) and there is plenty of follow up work. There are always poorly written apps causing problems…tinkering end users breaking things..they create plenty of problems…then there is the steady stream of new functionality and services that the customers want to deploy once you show them the possibilities…While I would agree that the peecee problem largely disappear, there is still plenty of work for competent IT staff..
No Shit, Sherlock!
Windows is too expensive no matter how you slice it.
The Mac is the “reliability standard”!
Not_Always,
Sorry, I wasnt very clear in what I said. Of course there is maintenance involved with a Mac network and I respect Mac Technicians cause they always know so much about the possibilities of OS X. But it’s usually, like you say, starting new services or functionality. And I agree there is plenty of work for COMPETENT IT staff… it’s just that the Mac lets you be creative, Pee Cee is all about getting the damn things to work for more than a week.
No offence was intended.
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Just think of the increased productivity in businesses if the IT staff could devote its resources to actually doing things to improve productivity rather than spending all its time bailing water to keep the leaky boat afloat.
Ah, to live in a world that is not just “good enough” but actually aspires to an ideal. Oh wait, I DO live in that world
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Mr. Bungle hits on a very important point. Yes, Mac’s do need a competent IT staff, but everyone knows it takes a MUCH larger staff to keep a Windows network running. There is absolutely some truth to the fact that getting rid of Windows would put a lot of people out of work. It’s not something people talk about much, but it’s definitely there.
twelveightyone, what does that woman’s weight have to do with your story? Are you implying that mac users are rich, smart, AND thin?
The article says:
“….vulnerabilities raises the cost of using business by about 15 percent….”
Using Business? shouldnt it be “doing business”, or maybe to scared to say “using Windows”
Patching Windows is usually handled automatically in big corporations (like where I work). We are not using Windows Update feature at all. This is because my company doesn’t trust what MS puts there and they want to verify those patches before installing to tens of thousands of computers. Of course it takes a while before patches get installed after MS posts them to Windows Update but not too long. I’d bet if we were all using MacOS instead of Windows, we would not trust Apple and MacOSX’s automatic update feature either but used some other tool to install patches. Only difference would be that there wouldn’t be that many patches to apply.
Well, all I know is – is that fat, obnoxious, know-it-all, jerks don’t like being called ‘fat’!
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“Are you implying that mac users are rich, smart, AND thin?”
You pegged me, Joe McC
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The cost stays minimal when you KEEP THE SYSTEMS PATCHED..Still no infections on our 100,000+ Windows XP Network..
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Doughnuts anyone?
‘While a bit off topic. Apple should include and automatic background run of repair permissions prior to (and after) an admin installing any software update. This is the recommended procedure anyway.” – maczac
Too lazy to hunt for links, but IIRC, one rumor site (might be ThinkSecret) mentioned that it’d be part of 10.4 Tiger. It’s just a rumor, mind you. Take it with a tablespoon of salt.
Nono, I’ve seen you mention this before. What system do you manage that has 100,000+ Windows XP systems??? That’s quite a large number. Care to share?
Some big system. Maybe it is a bank and he is talking about ATMs
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Has no-one here ever heard of Microsoft’s SUS? You install it (a free download) on a web server, and using one of the built-in Administration Templates in Windows point your PCs at it. The server checks Windows Update and downloads any patches it finds (lots, we are talking Microsoft after all). Once they are there you can approve them for automatic distribution to all your PCs by ticking a box next to each patch you want to send out. The patches install on the PCs in the background, and next time the machine gets rebooted, they get activated.
If you want to test the patches before you send them out, you either have a couple of machines that point to Windows Update itself, or if you are big enough, you have a second SUS Server in a test lab.
It doesn’t have to be difficult. And you all thought I’d forgotten everything from my MCSEs hadn’t you
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I could, but my company would be quite POed if I did…We actually have around 200K. We use SUS and Managing tools to accomplish this..Not to say we havent had our share in the past, But we have done a hell of alot better in the past few years…
MS Mac Appal what is the difference?
MS stinks. No matter what will happen. It just sucks, and apple rules!
Big networks of M$ Pc’s Only exist for “compatibilty”. But that is only bacause they think it’s all about that. If everyone would have a mac the big networks had em too. Mac is just better.