Anonymous,

I avoided mentioning more detail as I didn't want to see my post modded down for vendor spam.

I work for a company whose Windows patch management component leverages the Microsoft update API without needing a WSUS server, while providing the same patch approval/deny policy controls and using the same online MS patch database. Remote sites get their patches either from MS directly or from a local file share cache. No VPN connection required, our agent takes care of everything with an encrypted outbound connection to a central server. For those against agents, I can personally vouch for it's rock solid stability and minimal resource usage (no .NET needed, the same agent works on Win95 through Server 2008).

Our customers range in size from companies who manage a hundred machines to 15,000.... all from one server. Most are service providers managing hundreds to thousands of Windows or Macintosh desktops/servers/laptops across remote sites. Linux agent is in beta ;)

Finally, www.kaseya.com if you're interested.

I can't say it will match the price point of WSUS but if you're managing hundreds to thousands of machines, it is worth a look. Patch management is only one of over a dozen major features (e.g. Monitoring, Remote control, ITIL-aligned Service Desk, Audit, etc).

Correct me if I am wrong, but Secunia is announcing that they are going to piggy-back on an existing WSUS server, and not that WSUS is going to start shipping with and deploying Secunia's updates for everyone who uses WSUS? I'm not sure why this is anything special at all. I help people replace WSUS all the time and they want to use less of it, not more. Perhaps I'm not understanding something here...

It all depends how sensitive the data is.

You can choose to wipe the entire system remotely if you are using the right software and yes, we all know the best approach is to encrypt the data in the first place.

You can choose to use tools to recover it if the laptop doesn't get immediately formatted by the thief. Webcam screenshot capture, video capture, desktop snapshot collection, browser history collection, audio to mp3 recording, key loggers etc can all be done silently in the background and their data can be sent up to a central server so long as the system connects to the internet (Windows or OS X, I've pieced the scripts together for most of these). Personal data can be remotely browsed and returned as well.

On my personal experience with this....Over the years a number of our customers have used our software have tracked down and recovered stolen laptops and in turn allowed the police to recover other stolen items. Currently we've got someone who is hopefully going to get a warrant to recover a laptop among other things that were simultaneously stolen (TV, WWII memorabilia including firearms) thanks to the overwhelming evidence he is able to present to the police. Another recent case I worked on was with a gentleman in Australia who recovered a stolen laptop and in turn helped the police apprehend two other suspects and recover 50+ items. Story is here: http://www.crn.com.au/News/153253,kaseya-tracks-down-stolen-laptop-in-melbourne.aspx (I am the 'tech guy' mentioned...)

As much as you'd like to believe otherwise, there are people who simply like to play their games at a fluid framerate with high quality graphics settings. This often requires recent processors, lots of RAM, and especially requires the latest in 3D acceleration video cards. You can tell yourself these people are trying to "compensate" for something -- I hope it makes you sleep better at night. In reality, they most often simply have the budget to afford them a PC which will offer a better gaming experience. The same goes for many Porsche owners you'd like to believe aren't well endowed -- the Porsche is a racing-bred sports car, prized for it's craftsmanship and performance. Keep in mind I'm not referring to their new SUV, which IMO is just an attempt to get a piece of the SUV-crazed yuppie market :)