What is Patch Management?

Patch management is the process of managing your computer network by deploying patches on a regular basis to keep your computer up to date. These patches are often needed to fix software errors (also known as “vulnerabilities” or “bugs”). Common areas that need to be patched are operating systems, applications, and embedded systems (such as network devices). If a vulnerability is discovered after the software is released, you can use a patch to fix the vulnerability. This makes it easier for resources in your environment  to be abused. Cloud patch management uses cloud tools to manage  OS security and third-party software updates and deploy them to all endpoints. Cloud native solutions are location, domain, and platform independent. If you have an internet connection, you can apply the patch.

Patch Management Purpose

Patch management’s main purpose is to ensure the security and performance of devices.

The purpose of patch management is to maintain the functional behaviour of the software and maintain proper security practices. Applying patches to fix software vulnerabilities reduces the “attack surface” and keeps hackers away. According to a Ponemon Institute report, 60% of  victims of security breaches were compromised as a result of exploiting a known unpatched vulnerability.

Why is Patch Management Important?

Patch management is important people who work closely using cloud services, because of this following key reasons:

• Security: Patch management fixes software and application vulnerabilities that are vulnerable to cyberattacks and helps organisations mitigate security risks. 
• System Availability: Patch management keeps your software and applications  up-to-date and smooth, increasing system availability. 
• Compliance: With the continued increase in cyberattacks, organisations are often required by regulatory agencies to maintain a certain level of compliance. Patch management is a necessary part of maintaining compliance standards. 
• Enhancements: Patch management can include feature updates beyond software bug fixes. Patches can be essential to ensure you get the latest and greatest products available.

Patch Management Benefits for Organisations

Organisations can benefit from patch management in a variety of ways. 

• Safer environment: Periodically patch vulnerabilities to manage and mitigate the risks that exist in your environment. This helps protect your business from potential security breaches. 
• Happy Customers: If your company sells products and services that require customers to use your technology, you know how important it is for the technology to actually work. Patch management is the process of fixing software bugs that help keep your system running.
• No unnecessary fines: If your company is not patched and therefore does not meet compliance standards, you may be fined. Successful patch management guarantees compliance with continuous security.
• Continuous Product Innovation: You can implement patches to update your technology with improved features. This allows organisations to deploy the latest innovations to  software on a large scale.

Patch Management Best Practices

Here are some best practices to follow in order to implement an efficient patching process successfully: 

• Patches from a single console-Improved efficiency with an integrated patch management solution that enables centralised patch management for all endpoints. 
• Patch Prioritisation-Determines the order in which patches are deployed based on severity for security or functional reasons. 
• Patch Management Process Automation – Reduces patch release-to-application time by automating the process. 
• Standardise the patching process – Establish policies to standardise the patching process for different endpoints (such as servers and workstations) throughout your IT environment. You can set the policy in the endpoint management solution. 
• Pre-deployment Patch test-Create a patch test environment  to avoid unintended results.

Patch Management as-a-Service 

Without a consistent and effective patch management strategy, you risk leaving your business open to performance drops, random reboots, or cyberattacks that compromise sensitive data or operations. The best way to maintain and monitor the integrity of your infrastructure and information systems is to enlist the help of a patch management expert such as Automox.

ArmourZero is partnering with Automox to provide a Security-as-a-Service to protect all your Operating Systems and third-party applications such as Microsoft Office, Adobe etc. It’s different with resellers or distributors because, with ArmourZero, you won’t get the security licence, but you will also get the 24/7 SOC to monitor and alert. This service protects you against known vulnerabilities by controlling authorised/unauthorised applications, ensuring continuous patches and always up-to-date versions are released by the application vendor.

You can get ArmourZero Patch Management as a Service and check our price list here.