Azure Arc offers many valuable capabilities beyond centralized asset management in the Azure portal. One of these features is Azure Update Manager, which enables patch management for virtual machines across Azure, on-premises environments, and multicloud scenarios. It is a Microsoft-managed service that replaces legacy solutions such as WSUS.
Azure Update Manager is included in the Defender for Servers Plan 2. Another option to access this capability is through Software Assurance for on-premises Windows Server. Eligible servers can be activated via the Azure Arc console.
Navigate to Azure Arc and select Azure benefits for Windows Server to view all eligible servers:
Servers with Software Assurance provide access to several additional features, including:
- Azure Update Manager
- Change tracking and inventory
- Azure machinge configuration
- Windows Admin Center
- Remote Support
- Accelerated networking
- Best practice assessment
- Azure Site Recovery configuration
Happy hybrid management!
