Update Monitoring

Update Monitoring is one of the Apptimized products that provides a user with a flexible and automated notification system. Also, the Apptimized Update Monitoring subscription enables a user to download a vendor media in a few clicks directly from the portfolio.

Apptimized Update Monitoring informs users when the software vendor has released an application update or found vulnerabilities. Apptimized monitors over 380 of the most widely used applications.

 Note. The Update monitoring appears in the project menu after it is initiated in the project settings by the project administrator.

The following screenshot shows the notification email when the vendor releases a new version of the monitored application:

Update monitoring interface

The Update Monitoring is available under the Project menu > Updates:

Apptimized shows the following screen when successful:

The screen above shows the default Apptimized Portal interface when no applications are added.

When a user adds the application to the monitoring list, Apptimized shows the following screen:

Updates group data into six categories:

Table 1. Update Monitoring data categories

Category	Details
Vendor	This category provides the details about the application’s vendor (e.g., Tim Kosse)
Software	This category provides the details about the application’s name (e.g., FileZilla)
Latest version	This category provides information about the newest version of the application released by the vendor and available in the Apptimized Platform.
Your version	This category provides information about the latest version of the application that is pinned within the recent user’s activities on the Updates page. The following colours are implemented to indicate the current state of the monitored application: - The latest version is available in the user’s packaged application portfolio - The newer version (in comparison to the one a user has in the portfolio) has been released by the vendor - The version a user has in the packaged application portfolio is outdated. This means that there are two or more recent releases of the application provided by the vendor   Note. The application version can be pinned in the following cases: 1. A user started the application monitoring (Project menu > Updates option > Track updates button > Select the application > Save button) 2. A user requested to process the latest version of the application (Actions column > Process latest version button > Confirm update software > Yes button) 3. A user changes the version of the application (Actions column > Versions button > Process column > Select the application’s version > Confirm update software > Yes button) 4. A user changes the version of the application manually (Actions column > Edit button > Your version field > Enter the numeric value > Save button)
Version’s mask	This category indicates what versions of the same application are tacked for updates in parallel. The highest version of an application is tracked by default, but some vendors support several versions of applications (i.e., Java Runtime Environment) in parallel. The version’s mask option enables a user to monitor an application version in addition to the highest one.
Actions	This category enables a user to provide the activities under the monitored applications. The following actions available: Process latest version Versions Edit Untrack

Manage applications in Updates

Add application

The option to add an application to the monitoring list is available under the Track application button > Select the best matching application > Save button.

Keyword search mode available.

The application appears in the list of monitored applications when successful:

New application request

The option to create a request to add an application to the Update monitoring list is available under the Missing an application? button. The Apptimized Team will check the possibility of adding the application to the Updates list.

Apptimized shows the modal window when successful:

Enter the value in the Vendor name field > Enter the value in the Software name field > Request button. All required fields are marked with an asterisk *.

Apptimized notifies the user when the request is submitted. The following screen provides an example of the notifications:

Apptimized sends the following email when the application can be added to the Update monitoring list.

Apptimized sends the following email when the application can't be added to the Update monitoring list.

Update the application’s version

The option to update the application’s version is available under:

• Your version column > Click on the highlighted application version > Process column > Select the application’s version > Confirm update software > Yes button).

• Actions column > Process latest version button > Confirm update software > Yes button).

• Actions column > Versions button > Process column > Select the application’s version > Confirm update software > Yes button.

Note. In the case of a source media is not available for a certain update version, Apptimized shows the following screen:

• Actions column > Edit button > Edit software modal window > Your version field > Enter the numeric value > Save button.

Edit monitored application settings

The option to change the settings of the monitored application is available under the Actions column > Edit button.  

 

Apptimized opens the window when successful: 

 

The option to change the application version manually is available under General in the Your version field. 

 

The option to receive notifications about monitored applications is available under the Send notifications by Project Role or Group membership checkbox. This option is enabled by default. 

 

The option to assign a user to receive Update Monitoring notifications is available under the Send notifications to specific users field. 

 

The option to remove a user from Update Monitoring notifications is available under the Remove button. 

 

The option to remove all users from Update Monitoring notifications is available under the Remove all items button. 

 

The option to define how the monitored application is serviced is available under the Lifecycle servicing option setting. 

Two servicing modes are available: 

 

If Care is enabled in the project, the following menu items are available: 

 

 To save the changes, click Save button. 

Apptimized shows the following notification when successful: 

Untrack applications

The option to exclude the application from the list of monitored applications is available under the Actions column > Untrack button:

The option to exclude all applications from the list of monitored applications is available under the Untrack all updates button:

Vulnerability notifications

Update Monitoring also provides the application’s vulnerability tracking feature for a user. Apptimized vulnerabilities tracking is based on the next services:

• NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Common Platform Enumeration (CPE)
• Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
• CIRCL incident statistics and threat ranking
• toolswatch/vFeed

To receive vulnerability notifications, a user needs to enable this option in the project settings. The project administrator role is required.

The option to check the list of detected vulnerabilities is available under the Update monitoring > Your version column > Click on the highlighted application version > Vulnerabilities tab.

Apptimized notifies a user when the vulnerability is detected. The following screenshot provides the example of the notification:

Export to CSV file

Update Monitoring applications can be downloaded as a report file by clicking on the Export to CSV button.