Ivanti provides the industry-leading patch scanning engine and patch catalog, currently securing over 180 million endpoints globally. XM Cyber acts as a pre attack virtual hacker showing all possible attack paths supporting the investigative process initiated by a customer once a breach is detected. With a free, fast, no-obligation, vulnerability scan, we can provide a report detailing your patch security posture. Terms & Conditions: One-time check within a predefined test group of 25 devices, to detect vulnerabilities (Microsoft and 3rd party). Playerunknowns battlegrounds overview.
| Type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer Security |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Mark Shavlik |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Shavlik ProtectShavlik SCUPdates |
| Parent | Ivanti |
| Website | www.shavlik.com |
Shavlik Technologies was a privately held company founded in 1993 by Mark Shavlik, who was one of the original developers of Windows NT in the late 1980s and early 1990s at Microsoft.[1]
The company provided software and services for network vulnerability assessment and for managing network security patches. Mark Shavlik left his role as CEO when Shavlik Technologies was acquired by VMware in May 2011, then held the position of Vice President and General Manager at VMware until March 2013.
In April 2013, LANDESK purchased the Shavlik business unit and all rights to the Shavlik products from VMware. During the same period, LANDESK announced a partnership that made VMware an Alliance Partner.[2]
In 2017 LANDESK merged with HEAT Software created a new IT Software company called Ivanti. Today, while the Shavlik name has been retired, the same Shavlik products are vital to the Ivanti security portfolio.[3]
History[edit]
Prior to the acceptance of Windows NT as a legitimate, enterprise operating system in the late 1990s, most enterprise software was written for Unix or some other mainframe operating system. Shavlik's roots were in providing consulting services to help organizations make the leap to Microsoft OS's and contributed to them delivering products on NT. Shavlik later extended its services business into software security consulting, primarily with businesses in highly regulated industries such as banking and healthcare. The services centered on providing a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) to perform security audits and penetration testing.
In the early 2000s the failure to keep software up-to-date by applying patches was a common flag on audits. One of the central challenges in addressing the problem was that companies did not have an easy way to determine which machines were out of date and they did not have a methodology to deploy updates. During this era, Microsoft wrestled with addressing this issue internally. They wanted a tool to detect which NT servers in a large NT server environment were missing patches so 'hot fixes' (see Hotfix) could be installed on those machines. However, because these NT servers were critical to operations, Microsoft required that this process be completed without installing any extra software, such as an agent, on the servers.
In an effort to address the 'hot fix'issue, Shavlik built the first agentless patch scanner for Windows NT.[4] The product was named HFNetChk (the acronym designating HotFix Network Check). The HFNetChk release was followed by another partnership wherein Shavlik helped build the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA). This tool did minimal patch scanning along with some basic OS configuration checks. It was delivered by Microsoft as part of the Windows 2000 Server Toolkit.
HFNetChk Pro 3.0, which was never released externally, introduced the ability to not only scan for missing patches but also to deploy those patches. This eliminated the need for an IT administrator to apply patches manually.
In 2003, Shavlik brought HFNetChk to market for the first time. Version 4 featured a Visual Basic 'web friendly' user interface. Previous versions of HFNetChk were operated via a command line interface.
Patch Management[edit]
In January 2003, the SQL slammer worm exploited a vulnerability in SQL Server that allowed a denial of service and slowed traffic on many internet hosts to a crawl. The worm went viral affecting 75,000 systems in the first ten minutes. Microsoft had made a patch available six months prior indicating that a failure to patch led to the widespread, security breach, not the vulnerability itself.[5]
Shavlik's HFNetChk was the first product in the market that could scan for and deploy missing patches on Windows machines. In the aftermath of the SQL Slammer worm and after a series of other highly publicized exploits hit in 2003/2004, Shavlik made the decision to move away from consulting and to fully invest in software development for patch management products.
Shavlik Protect[edit]
Shavlik added standalone and integrated anti-virus capabilities to version 5 of HFNetChk and changed the product name to HFNetChk Protect, eventually dropping HFNetChk.[6]
During the Version 6 timeframe, Protect introduced the capability to patch offline virtual machines and VM templates. This project was the first in a series of partnerships Shavlik entered into with VMware, and the capability meant that Protect could agentlessly patch machines in both physical and virtual environments.With Version 7 and its various point releases, a new user interface was introduced as well as physical and virtual asset inventory. Agent support was integrated into Protect and was no longer offered as a separately licensed product. Shavlik also shifted more of its detection logic out of Protect and into the content.
Version 8 of Protect fixed many stability issues. Due to a number of customer complaints, Shavlik focused on making the product more stable. Version 9 introduced hypervisor patching for VMware implementations as well as the ability to patch off-network machines via the cloud.
Microsoft Collaboration[edit]
Shavlik's technological advancements have been significant enough to attract attention from Microsoft, resulting in cooperative efforts between the two companies and the development of the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), which is based on Shavlik's HFNetChk (the acronym designating HotFix Network Checker) released in 2001.[7] This technology has evolved, but is still the core technology in the current product offerings and has been licensed by multiple OEM partners to provide patch management capabilities to a variety of IT management solutions with a combined install base of millions of users across the globe.[8]
In the late 2000s, the industry saw applications being exploited by hackers shift from Microsoft OS and other Microsoft applications to third-party applications like Java, Adobe, music players, and non-Microsoft internet browsers. During this time, products like Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) provided Windows patch capabilities via the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS); however, it didn't (and still doesn't) patch third-party products. According to Global Analyst Firm Gartner, this left administrators with limited choices: don't patch third-party products leaving the network at risk, author and test a custom patch each time a third-party product requires an update, or deploy the patches manually to each affected machine.[9]
In April 2010, Shavlik released SCUPdates – a catalog of patch content that automated the process of building third-party patches and delivering them to Windows clients via an integration with Microsoft System Center Updates Publisher (SCUP) and SCCM. In tandem with the initial SCUPdates release, Microsoft and Shavlik also announced Shavlik's inclusion into the Microsoft System Center Alliance.[10]
Patch Management to the Cloud[edit]
In 2010 Shavlik released IT.Shavlik which provided a web-based front-end to the traditional Shavlik toolkit of asset inventory, patch scanning, and patch deployment. This Software as a Service (SaaS) application simplified the workflow for inventory and systems patching than was possible with the on-premises, Protect solution.
In early 2009, Shavlik formed an OEM partnership with VMware to build a cloud-based application designed to help IT administrators in smaller businesses deploy a virtual environment. VMware Go (vGo) was intended to be an 'onramp to virtualization,' serving smaller customers until they were ready to upgrade to the more sophisticated vCenter suite. vGo was originally brought to market as a free-use cloud-based product.
VMware and Shavlik invested heavily in vGo, and the product was expanded to include asset inventory, patch scanning, and an IT advisor recommendation engine. Later in attempts to monetize vGo's services, a paid version called VMware Go Pro introduced patch deployment. This led to the migration of users from IT.Shavlik to VMware Go.
Acquisition History[edit]
VMware's interest in vGo as well as the virtual infrastructure patching capabilities within Protect led to its acquisition of Shavlik Technologies in May 2011. The terms of the acquisition were not publicly disclosed.[11]
In January 2013, VMware announced its intent to 'sharpen its focus' on the software-defined data center and hybrid cloud services.[12] As part of this realignment, VMware sought to sell off products that weren't contributing to its core business such as its SlideRocket presentation software and other 'non-key cloud and virtualization technologies.' [13] The Shavlik product line found itself on that list.
In April 2013, LANDesk Software purchased the Shavlik business unit and all rights to the Shavlik products from VMware. At the same time LANDesk announced a partnership which added VMware to LANDesk's list of Alliance Partners.[14] Shavlik's move to LANDesk triggered new investment in Shavlik Patch for Microsoft System Center (formerly SCUPdates) as well as other products that enhance the experience for companies using SCCM.
In early 2017, Clearlake Capital Group acquired LANDesk and Shavlik, along with Heat Software, Appsense and Wavelink; the combined company uses a new corporate name and product brand, Ivanti.[15][16]
References[edit]
- ^InformationWeek Five Questions For Mark Shavlik, CEO of Shavlik Technologies
- ^LANDesk Acquires Shavlik from VMware Official Announcement
- ^Distribution, Robinson (2017-03-28). 'Shavlik is now Ivanti'. ITWeb Technology News. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ^HFNetChk: Microsoft's New Hotfix Tool News Coverage
- ^SQL Slammer: Hot it Works and How to Prevent It News Coverage
- ^Shavlik Products Page Company Website
- ^ServerWatch Windows Patch Management, Shavlik Technologies
- ^Info Security Products Guide Helping Organizations Stay Ahead of Security Breaches and Challenges
- ^Gartner Blog Post, May 6, 2013 Patch Management Not a Solved Problem
- ^Satellite Spotlight, April 15, 2010 Shavlik Technologies Joins Microsoft System Center Alliance
- ^VMware to Acquire Shavlik Technologies, May 16, 2011 Official VMware Release
- ^Bloodiest Tech Industry Layoffs of 2013 So FarArchived 2014-02-04 at the Wayback Machine News Coverage
- ^VMware Announces Mass Layoffs After Positive Earnings Report News Coverage
- ^LANDesk Acquires Shavlik from VMware, April 9, 2013 Official LANDesk Release
- ^Shavlik is now Ivanti, March 28, 2017 Press Release reported in ITWeb
- ^Realize value in minutes, not months ivanti company page
Further reading[edit]
- Battening the patches: Shavlik Technologies of Roseville has built a niche as one of the nation's leading testers and managers of computer security.. Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, February 15, 2009
- Microsoft Patch Tuesday Brings Four Fixes For Eight Flaws Information Week: February 10, 2009
- Relying on Microsoft's WSUS patch management is 'almost negligent' SC Magazine: February 6, 2009
- Shavlik Technologies Optimizer Series Doing Its Part for the Economy! Business Wire: February 5, 2009
- Microsoft Plans To Fix UAC Security in Windows 7 RC Redmond Magazine: February 5, 2009
- Shavlik Technologies Named Finalist for Two Prestigious SC Magazine Awards Reuters: January 7, 2009
- LANDesk Acquires VMware Protect Product Family LANDesk: April 9, 2013
- [1] Shavlik Moves In With Severnside Housing
External links[edit]
VMware and Shavlik invested heavily in vGo, and the product was expanded to include asset inventory, patch scanning, and an IT advisor recommendation engine. Later in attempts to monetize vGo's services, a paid version called VMware Go Pro introduced patch deployment. This led to the migration of users from IT.Shavlik to VMware Go.
Acquisition History[edit]
VMware's interest in vGo as well as the virtual infrastructure patching capabilities within Protect led to its acquisition of Shavlik Technologies in May 2011. The terms of the acquisition were not publicly disclosed.[11]
In January 2013, VMware announced its intent to 'sharpen its focus' on the software-defined data center and hybrid cloud services.[12] As part of this realignment, VMware sought to sell off products that weren't contributing to its core business such as its SlideRocket presentation software and other 'non-key cloud and virtualization technologies.' [13] The Shavlik product line found itself on that list.
In April 2013, LANDesk Software purchased the Shavlik business unit and all rights to the Shavlik products from VMware. At the same time LANDesk announced a partnership which added VMware to LANDesk's list of Alliance Partners.[14] Shavlik's move to LANDesk triggered new investment in Shavlik Patch for Microsoft System Center (formerly SCUPdates) as well as other products that enhance the experience for companies using SCCM.
In early 2017, Clearlake Capital Group acquired LANDesk and Shavlik, along with Heat Software, Appsense and Wavelink; the combined company uses a new corporate name and product brand, Ivanti.[15][16]
References[edit]
- ^InformationWeek Five Questions For Mark Shavlik, CEO of Shavlik Technologies
- ^LANDesk Acquires Shavlik from VMware Official Announcement
- ^Distribution, Robinson (2017-03-28). 'Shavlik is now Ivanti'. ITWeb Technology News. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ^HFNetChk: Microsoft's New Hotfix Tool News Coverage
- ^SQL Slammer: Hot it Works and How to Prevent It News Coverage
- ^Shavlik Products Page Company Website
- ^ServerWatch Windows Patch Management, Shavlik Technologies
- ^Info Security Products Guide Helping Organizations Stay Ahead of Security Breaches and Challenges
- ^Gartner Blog Post, May 6, 2013 Patch Management Not a Solved Problem
- ^Satellite Spotlight, April 15, 2010 Shavlik Technologies Joins Microsoft System Center Alliance
- ^VMware to Acquire Shavlik Technologies, May 16, 2011 Official VMware Release
- ^Bloodiest Tech Industry Layoffs of 2013 So FarArchived 2014-02-04 at the Wayback Machine News Coverage
- ^VMware Announces Mass Layoffs After Positive Earnings Report News Coverage
- ^LANDesk Acquires Shavlik from VMware, April 9, 2013 Official LANDesk Release
- ^Shavlik is now Ivanti, March 28, 2017 Press Release reported in ITWeb
- ^Realize value in minutes, not months ivanti company page
Further reading[edit]
- Battening the patches: Shavlik Technologies of Roseville has built a niche as one of the nation's leading testers and managers of computer security.. Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, February 15, 2009
- Microsoft Patch Tuesday Brings Four Fixes For Eight Flaws Information Week: February 10, 2009
- Relying on Microsoft's WSUS patch management is 'almost negligent' SC Magazine: February 6, 2009
- Shavlik Technologies Optimizer Series Doing Its Part for the Economy! Business Wire: February 5, 2009
- Microsoft Plans To Fix UAC Security in Windows 7 RC Redmond Magazine: February 5, 2009
- Shavlik Technologies Named Finalist for Two Prestigious SC Magazine Awards Reuters: January 7, 2009
- LANDesk Acquires VMware Protect Product Family LANDesk: April 9, 2013
- [1] Shavlik Moves In With Severnside Housing
External links[edit]
XM Cyber, a specialist in breach and attack simulation (BAS) advanced cyber risk analytics and cloud security posture management, and Ivanti, is integrating its Ivanti patch management technology with the XM Cyber BAS platform.
The enhanced solution is a result of XM Cyber's partnership with Ivanti in which it has leveraged the Ivanti Security Controls Advanced SDK for Ivanti OEM partners to add Ivanti patch management technology to its BAS Platform. This addition gives customers smarter vulnerability management with detailed superseding vulnerability information on operating systems and third-party applications. It also delivers prioritised potential attack vectors that might result from a compromised system.
Avanti Vulnerability Scanning Definition
'Ivanti's expanded partnership with XM Cyber further underscores our mission to deliver the adaptive security that enables a cyber-resilient enterprise,' said Mark Stevens, vice president of strategic alliances and OEM, Ivanti. 'Together, Ivanti and XM Cyber are empowering users with the advanced, automated application patching technology needed to more rapidly discover, prioritise, and remediate vulnerabilities at the endpoint.'
The Ivanti and XM Cyber partnership automates and simplifies the process it takes to identify vulnerabilities, prioritise them based on the top potential attack vectors and remediate them accordingly. As a result, customers will be able to quickly detect vulnerabilities, from endpoint to data centre to cloud, and automatically deploy expertly pre-tested patches across hundreds of third-party applications. Microsoft patch coverage includes both security and non-security content for all supported products, operating systems, and applications, including Microsoft Office. Ivanti provides the industry-leading patch scanning engine and patch catalog, currently securing over 180 million endpoints globally.
Avanti Vulnerability Scanning Scanner
XM Cyber acts as a pre attack virtual hacker showing all possible attack paths supporting the investigative process initiated by a customer once a breach is detected. Once all vulnerabilities are discovered with the Ivanti assessment scanning engine, the XM Cyber Platform explores and identifies the potential attack impact. By identifying critical assets, the platform assists customers in understanding the overall risk and exactly what steps are required for remediation.
'By using attack simulation in conjunction with vulnerability scanning, XM Cyber delivers the next generation in vulnerability management,' said Noam Erez, CEO and co-founder of XM Cyber. 'Now security and network operation teams can work together, relying on additional context to evaluate the criticality of each vulnerability to prioritise and manage updates and patching. The benefit to customers is a continuous approach to vulnerability management that reduces risk while also reducing man hours and improving processes between security and operations.'
Ivanti Patch Management technology for OEM partners, marketed as Ivanti Security Controls Advanced SDK, is provided to partners through a series of SDKs that allow rapid integration of a complete patch management workflow into existing security solutions. These SDKs cover the patch management lifecycle from endpoint assessment to patch packaging to patch deployment. This allows partners to deliver a full application security solution with patch content that covers Windows OS, MacOS and Linux variants as well as thousands of third-party applications. Whether a partner's solution is supporting customers in the cloud, on-premise or in the data centre, Ivanti Security Controls SDKs allow OEM partners to deliver world class agent-based and agentless patching across completely heterogeneous environments.
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