You’ve heard the standard advice: to protect your computer from web-based and other threats, run a supported version of Windows, install Windows updates as soon as they become available, install strong anti-malware software, and keep all your software up to date.

Windows Update will tell you if your computer is missing any updates for Windows, Office, and some other Microsoft software. But what about all the other software installed on your computer?

Previously, we recommended Secunia OSI, a web-based software scanner that checked all your software for updates. OSI was particularly handy, because we were able to embed it in this page. That service was discontinued, so we started recommending the standalone Secunia PSI, which wasn’t perfect, but still useful. Now the PSI software is no more. So now what?

SUMo Software Update Monitor

I’ve been using the free version of SUMo for a while now, and it’s terrific. SUMo accurately detects out-of-date versions of a huge number of software packages; it’s fast, unobtrusive, and customizable via an exclude list.

The Pro version of SUMo allows you to install software updates directly from official sites, whereas the free version just lets you know what needs updating; you have to locate and download new versions yourself. A lifetime license for SUMo Pro is 30 Euros.