Shavlik technologies
Encyclopedia
Shavlik Technologies is 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 '90s at Microsoft
. The company provides software and services for
network vulnerability assessment and for managing network security patches.
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. This technology is still used by an installed base of millions of users across the globe.
On May 16, 2011 VMware
announced its intent to acquire Shavlik Technologies. The acquisition is expected to close in Q2 2011.
VMware already used Shavlik technology in its vCenter Update Manager product, and co-developed the VMware GO offering.
Windows NT
Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...
in the late 1980s and early '90s at Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
. The company provides software and services for
network vulnerability assessment and for managing network security patches.
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
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer is a software tool released by Microsoft to determine security state by assessing missing security updates and less-secure security settings within Microsoft Windows, Windows components such as Internet Explorer, IIS web server, and products Microsoft SQL...
(MBSA), which is based on Shavlik's HFNetChk (the acronym designating HotFix Network Checker) released in 2001. This technology is still used by an installed base of millions of users across the globe.
On May 16, 2011 VMware
VMware
VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....
announced its intent to acquire Shavlik Technologies. The acquisition is expected to close in Q2 2011.
VMware already used Shavlik technology in its vCenter Update Manager product, and co-developed the VMware GO offering.
Further reading
- 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