1. A method of updating software applications or systems on a target client, comprising the steps of: providing the target client with an update manager; using the update manager to initiate a procedure to compare the level of software or services on the target client with the level of software or services available on a specified server to determine if an update is available on the server for the software or services on the target client; and if an update is available, copying the update from the server to the target client.