Item: Automox
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Automox

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Automox to patch our end-user devices. The patches include 3rd party vendor software and Windows operating system updates. The business problem this addresses is it serves as a replacement to WSUS while also patching 3rd party applications. Our scope of usage is all Windows (Server and Desktop) OSes along with Linux.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Automox identifies important and urgent updates and makes deployment easy.
Groups can be used to stage patch rollouts instead of pushing updates to all devices as once.
Reporting on previous and current patching is extensive and very helpful, down to the individual device.

Cons

Automox can be very persistent in wanting to reboot once patches are installed. We hear this as the number one complaint from end users.
It would be nice if the end user could see a little information on what was being installed.
There is an overall learning curve to the admin interface. I don't have suggestions on how to fix it yet, just pointing this out.

Return on Investment

We have gained a lot of admin time back by automating patching
WSUS and SCCM were retired in favor of Automox
Reporting is a lot more informative when looking at the history of updates on a machine or group of machines

Patching

We were able to close some security gaps a lot more quickly when Automox was brought in. What would've shown up in an annual security audit has been greatly reduced with regular patching from Automox. We have also been able to keep better track of unsupported operating systems and target those for upgrades and/or replacements.

Usability

When clicking on a device and pulling it up in Automox, there are certain things that are not immediately available. Looking at the software section at the bottom, you can select individual patches that need to be installed, but cannot click through to see details of what the purpose of the patch is. This causes me to have to document the patch and search for it elsewhere in the software. It is small quirks like this that I chose to lower my score. It would also be handy if a reporting button was available when browsing an individual node. Instead, you have to go to the reporting section at the top, then re-find your device(s).

Alternatives Considered

PDQ Deploy & Inventory

Automox is able to scale better than PDQ Deploy. We were happier with the 3rd party software patching since we have a lot of different software we use across departments. PDQ deploy required a lot more manual intervention to stay on top of deployments. Automox just ended up being a timesaver for us in the end.

Key Insights

Do you think Automox delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Automox's feature set?

Yes

Did Automox live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Automox go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy Automox again?

Yes

Other Software Used

monday.com, mRemoteNG, Foxit PDF Editor (FoxitPhantom)

Likelihood to Recommend

I think the bigger the organization, the more important a good, overall patch management solution is needed. As our number of endpoints has grown over time, the amount of software has increased. This can create a lot of wasted time trying to patch individual pieces of software by hand. With automating the patching process, we are freed up to work on other tasks. For a less appropriate scenario, in a smaller company with less than 100 devices, I don't think a solution like Automox would be needed.

Comments

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Automox will get your environment updated... fast!