You can get the slides from Sean’s presentation by following the link below or read on for a summary.
IT complexity can cause security and performance problems
In Linux systems, configuration and patch management is often an afterthought, happening only after something has gone terribly wrong. That’s because IT is complex. When setting up machines, IT teams face challenges like manual and slow provisioning, non-repeatable deployment, and inconsistent configuration. Because managing each machine one by one is time and labor intensive, there is a higher risk of human error and of inconsistencies in which software is installed.
Once a system is up and running, challenges continue. Manual patching and updating creates an irregular patch cadence and makes it hard to meet security requirements. When systems don’t stay compliant, vulnerabilities creep in and the system becomes at risk. Business downtime and disruption often result.
Reducing costs and optimizing operations
SUSE Manager handles this complexity by pulling from open-source code. SUSE helps enterprises reduce costs while optimizing Linux operations. They use the best open-source technology to provide an enterprise-grade lifecycle management solution for your entire mixed Linux environment.
SUSE Manager 4.3, the latest release from SUSE based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4, offers four main advantages:
- Cost Management. SUSE Manager lets you do more with less by automating time-consuming manual tasks.
- Operational Security & Compliance. By instituting a regular patch cadence, SUSE Manager automates security and ensures your systems stay compliant across environments.
- Remote Management. Remote work isn’t going away. SUSE Manager provides centralized, scalable configuration and patch management.
- Streamline Operations. SUSE Manager increases IT staff productivity by minimizing manual work through automation and a centralized console.
- Freedom of Choice. SUSE Manager doesn’t lock you into any particular software. You can choose what works best for your organization.
SUSE Manager’s goal is to reduce your IT complexity so you can regain control of IT assets. Uniquely, SUSE Manager is completely open-source, with no proprietary code. That lets them pull from the best tools and technology the open-source world has to offer.
Support wherever you need it
SUSE Manager is the only tool that offers software content lifecycle management, configuration management, and automation for every major Linux distribution.
SUSE provides its own Linux environment, SUSE Linux Enterprise. But SUSE Manager works on almost any Linux distribution, including Red Hat, CentOS, Ubuntu, and more. The list of supported Linux clients keeps expanding.
SUSE offers content control and system management wherever you need strategic deployment, from edge to cloud. Pre-built server images can manage public cloud instances, and local or hosted systems are supported on any private cloud or hypervisor.
What does SUSE Manager help you do?
- Manage Patching and Content Lifecycle Management
One major advantage of SUSE Manager is the ability to automate updates and patches. SUSE Manager lets you create categories that match the reality of your environment. Each category – for example, test, quality assurance, and production – can have different patch loads. IT teams can test patches in one tier and then push every patch to the next tier in one go, instead of having to manage each patch individually. - Identify and Remediate Vulnerabilities
SUSE Manager makes it easy to meet security and compliance requirements. If you have a CVE number, you can enter it and verify which machines are vulnerable, vulnerable and patched, or not vulnerable. You can also generate reports to provide accurate audit data. - Schedule Maintenance
When you apply a patch to a machine or group of machines, you can choose whether to do it right away or schedule it for a preferred time. This works for single patches or multiple patches, and you can even establish an action chain. For example, you could install a patch for a specific application and then restart the application. - Control Security and Maintenance Details
SUSE Manager gives you fine grain control of patching and content lifecycle management. Filters like those on iptables let you create layers of rules for machines. You are also able to give different security permissions to particular customers or departments. - Improve performance
SaltStack runs under SUSE Manager, which lets you push commands to multiple machines. This saves time for IT teams and reduces manual labor, so your teams can get more done more quickly.
To learn more, download the presentation here. You can also learn more about SUSE Manager here.