PatchLink Security Academy Provides Worldwide Program for Patch & Vulnerability Management Training

Supporting cyber-security education efforts worldwide, PatchLink(TM) Corp. (www.patchlink.com) today announced PatchLink Security Academy(TM), the only vendor-based patch and vulnerability management training and certification program available to IT professionals on a global scale. With the demand for IT security expertise at an all-time high, these professionals can now expand their IT security knowledge and prove their proficiency by meeting the standards of a capable and knowledgeable IT security leader. The new PatchLink Security Academy training program is immediately available and offered in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

Building upon its depth of proven market experience in patch and vulnerability management, PatchLink's new training and certification program provides several courses that extend the value of the PATCHLINK UPDATE(TM) investment. They include: PATCHLINK UPDATE Operator (Web-based or instructor-led), PATCHLINK UPDATE Administrator (instructor-led only), and PATCHLINK UPDATE Engineer (instructor-led only), as well as enhanced technical support for those who certify as "engineers."

Extending the program's value and purpose, PatchLink's Professional Service has joined efforts with (ISC)2 (www.isc2.org) to offer PatchLink trainees who hold either (ISC)2's Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP(R)) and/or Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP(R)) credentials Continued Professional Education (CPE) credits to maintain accreditation. Additionally, PatchLink has selected Thomson Prometric (www.prometric.com) to provide trusted, proctored certification delivery to achieve unparalleled credibility for its training.

"Patch and vulnerability management software and service support has become incredibly important to an organization's IT success," said PatchLink CEO Sean Moshir. "Now, with the added support of our extensive, first-of-its-kind training and certification program, IT staff members can now attest that their knowledge is at a level necessary to effectively implement their patch, vulnerability and compliancy management program to derive even more benefit from their critical security investment."

According to (ISC)2 Institute Executive Vice President Marc Thompson, "Ensuring continued patch and vulnerability management competence while also providing CISSP and SSCP certified professionals continuing education credits for PatchLink training provides significant career and knowledgebase benefits. Any organization that understands the value of protecting the enterprise infrastructure and data assets also understands how continued information security education and credits directly support business continuity and strategic information security success."

Whether the goal is ongoing staff development or to achieve certification for career enhancement, PatchLink's classroom and online training and certification programs assist the IT professional in achieving their desired level of patch and vulnerability management certification, including proficiency in:

-- Evaluating current risks and deploying appropriate patches and fixes.

-- Selecting appropriate levels of user interaction and control for patch management deployment and reboot actions.

-- Creating a custom delegated administration system.

-- Designing, creating, and managing custom computer groups and policies.

-- Designing and implementing Mandatory Baseline deployments.

-- Describing benefits, features and setup for PatchLink Distribution Point(TM) architecture.

-- Creating custom software distribution packages.

-- Installing a default configuration for PATCHLINK UPDATE Server (PLUS).

-- Recognizing and avoiding typical PLUS and agent installation and operational mistakes.

-- Using the PatchLink Developer Kit (PDK) to create custom patches.

Ensuring global testing capabilities and credibility of certification results, Alison Indrisano, senior vice president and chief operations officer of Thomson Prometric, noted, "Thomson Prometric delivers examinations in over 30 languages in more than 132 countries. Our delivery model directly supports PatchLink's global training and certification objectives for 2005 and beyond."

To learn more about the PatchLink Security Academy patch and vulnerability management training and certification program, visit http://www.patchlink.com/certify.


About Patchlink(TM) Corp.

PatchLink(TM) Corp.(www.patchlink.com) is the established leader for enterprisewide, security patch, vulnerability and compliancy management software, solutions and services. Having the largest installed subscriber base for patch and vulnerability management software in the industry, the Inc. 500 company (2004) is headquartered in Arizona. PatchLink provides global support to its customers through a well-developed network of resellers and distributors, as well as through its offices in the United States (Scottsdale and Washington, D.C.), Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Incorporating a highly scalable, multiplatform approach to network and end-point security, PATCHLINK UPDATE(TM) software provides customers access to the world's largest repository of tested and secured patches and misconfiguration updates for deployment across their enterprises, integrating with leading vulnerability and access control management solutions to provide real-time remediation. PatchLink customers show a 95 percent-plus renewal rate and better than 97 percent indicate they are "satisfied or highly satisfied" with overall product and service performance. Customers utilizing PatchLink software, solution and services span all vertical industries and include the U.S. Army, EPA, USDA, NASA, Thomson Financial, Virgin Airlines, Boeing and BlueCross BlueShield, among others.