Who you callin' WUS?

Windows Update Services (WUS) is the successor to Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS) and the application Microsoft previously referred to as SUS 2.0. WUS is essentially a free Windows Server add-on that lets small and midsized businesses easily handle patch management for servers and clients. It is due time, cause SUS with its flat architecture and lack of control should have been named SUK.

In addition to the new name, WUS sports a wide range of cool new features. Like earlier SUS versions, WUS provides you with a centralized patch-management infrastructure, which lets you approve then roll out patches to desktops and servers. WUS adds new content download types—including patches for Microsoft Office, SQL Server, and Exchange Server—to the previously supported Windows updates and service packs. WUS includes improved targeting capabilities that let administrators take advantage of organizational units (OUs) in Active Directory (AD) environments or manually created groups in workgroups to roll out patches to the most crucial systems first. The new service also includes bandwidth-management capabilities that let you control patch delivery during peak business hours so that you can ensure your networks won't be overloaded during crucial periods.

One feature that won't be changing is the price—none. Contrary to rumors, and despite all the powerful new features, WUS continues to be a free component of Windows Server. This definitely is something to check out if you do not have a solution already.