What Is Patch Management?

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Transcript:

Patch management is the process of keeping IT systems and devices up to date with the latest security versions and bug fixes. These patches fix vulnerabilities or performance issues in your software that may be exploited by cyber criminals or that just make the product hard to use. The patch management process has a few key steps.

First, IT admins have to constantly monitor notifications so they can quickly identify any new vulnerabilities in the user's software or devices. Once a vulnerability is identified, they have to figure out which systems or applications are affected and find the right patch to solve the problem. Then admins download the patch from the vendor's website.

They usually test it on a single device first to make sure the patch doesn't interfere with any other applications or create a new glitch. Once the patch is okayed, they develop a deployment plan to send it to all affected company devices and use status reports to make sure all the effective devices have been properly patched. Most digital tools you use for work may need a patch update at some point, including software that supports your business products like your point of sale or POS system, software that supports your employees like servers, applications, and workstations and individual devices employees use to do their work, like laptops, desktop computers, tablets, and cell phones. Patch management touches nearly every piece of your business, and it's important too because it protects your users, devices, and systems from cyber criminals and helps IT admins quickly address any performance issues or glitches that can keep you from doing your job.

Some patches like system updates are necessary to keep software and apps running smoothly and others tackled certain compliance requirements that can't be met without the newest updates and fixes. But while patch management is important, it's not always easy to manage. IT admins often have to identify, download, and install patches for multiple operating systems, platforms, and third party applications. Think of a company of 50 employees who each have a laptop, a company cell phone, and 15 work applications, and you'll see how big of a task this can be. The patches also have to be tested before they're released to make sure they don't cause any bugs or user issues, which takes IT admin time and resources, and with so many employees working remotely, admins also have to develop strategies to make sure remote systems are getting the critical patches they need. The good news is there's a couple of best practices that can make patch management a whole lot easier on your IT admins and your company.

The first trick is to find a tool that helps you to automate your patching process. Automated patching tools can scan your systems for vulnerabilities and automatically download and install the right patches. Users can schedule the update for convenient time, like during the night so it doesn't interrupt their work hours. The best solutions will even create reports that track the identified vulnerabilities patch solutions, and when the patches are applied for compliance and auditing purposes.

Automating patch management frees up your IT admins for more complicated tasks that they can't hand over to machines. It's also the best way to monitor your users to make sure they're installing the patch in a timely manner to keep your workforce protected and running smoothly. When you are choosing an automated patch management platform, consider your user's requirements and the limits of your current process.
If your IT solutions aren't fully cloud-based, for example, you can't monitor endpoints remotely or send patch updates to user owned devices.

And that brings us to our next best practice. Choose a cloud-based patch management solution. Cloud-based platforms work with any company's business model, whether you are in person, fully remote, or something in between. They're also more cost-effective than on-prem solutions because you don't need an internal server or the ongoing maintenance that goes along with it. And cloud-based solutions let's IT admins manage their company's users and devices from anywhere at any time.

[Bacwood]

This video is right on time, I'm have been doing some research on CIS Control 10, thank you have a great day!

[whatssnewdaps]

Which software you used for creating video

[brianrose]

Bro said think of a company of 50 employees😅. Bro those are rooky numbers. I'm the only patch manager in my company. And I have to patch 3500+ machines😢😭