Andrew Taylor’s article comparing application package managers is a must-read for newbies and seasoned veterans alike. We’ve worked with Andrew to create this simple infographic to help you see how they rank at a glance.
UPDATED: October 2024
Keeping applications updated is essential for maintaining a secure environment and is, in fact, a requirement for Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation. While you can, of course, manually package and update your applications, those that require regular updates will take up a lot of your time, which is better used elsewhere.
This is where package managers are extremely useful; they’ll look after application updates for you, and most are fully automated. Below, you’ll find a few of the main contenders to consider. Taking these into account, you also need to consider which is the better fit for your organisation. Whilst cost is an obvious factor (and data sovereignty for some), you need to look at the supported applications and compare them to your current (and future) app stack. The more apps are supported, the more time you’ll save. Whilst a supplier could have a supported app list in the thousands, if you only actually use three of them, it isn’t a good fit for you. Alternatively, there could be a supplier with a smaller selection but a better fit with your organization.
You’ll rarely find all of your applications on a list, especially the more unusual apps, or those which require licensing. For those applications, a managed packaging service can take over and free you from the headache of app management.
