Technology has become essential in our daily routines being at work or leisure, it assist us and serves as a leverage for productivity. However, like everything else, it needs to be revised and tweaked every so often, not only for upgrades but to resolve any popping issues.
There are several ways to go around this, one of which is patching or patch management, which is essentially the process by which new features are added to a software, plus any bug fixes, and/or upgrades, which will overall keep the system and devices working smoothly apart from enhancing performance. This also assists in eliminating any weaknesses which could allow a cyberattack to happen.
Thus, patch management is key to ensure that a software keeps working as it should. One common challenge is that patch management needs some time to be tested and completed, leading to interruption and downtime for organisations. Usually, IT team will implement patches outside office hours where possible.
Patch Management – Benefits
A serious organisation is regularly checking and monitoring its software for upgrades, bug fixes, and to keep it in line with regulatory requirements via patch management. Below we list some advantages.
Security Patches
This is your frontline defence against cyber threats, as hackers are constantly looking for a weak spot in your system to allow them to penetrate. Security patches provide just that, a peace of mind to close any gaps which might be attractive to a malicious attack or malware.
Bug Fixes
Apart from security, part of the patch management tools provide bug fix patches, thus allowing software to keep running smoothly. This boosts productivity by making sure to minimise system crashes, thus operations are swifter and client satisfaction is ensured.
Feature Updates
Updates are not to be taken lightly or postponed, as new features will enhance your company`s software and capabilities, while also leveraging productivity. Features might be minimal or significant upgrades in the form of AI (Artificial Intelligence) powered suggestions or new tools in software design. These feature updates will improve user experience, accessibility, and interfaces.
Reduced Downtime
Although at first patch management requires investment, some dedicated time, testing, and implementation, however in the long run it prevents resources needed in case of any security breach, therefore preventing expensive downtime.
Patch Management – Challenges
Just like anything else patch management has its downsides too, and it is imperative that these are mentioned and tackled as they can make deploying patches more complex.
To name one of the most common issues during patch management – buggy patches, since every organisation is well aware that these may cause expensive downtime, causing unexpected errors, which could lead to grave consequences like system instability.
This may lead to hesitancy by organisations to apply patches immediately which is dangerous as it leaves a gap between when issues are discovered to when they are actually tackled and resolved. Therefore, administrators need to own this and monitor to avoid any downtime scenario.
Another common challenge is at which time patch management is implemented, as there are organisations which work 24/7, thus in these cases an agreement would need to be reached to minimise disruption say during hectic hours. IT must carefully plan to balance security needs versus operational requirements, which could be tricky.
Any offline endpoints may represent another challenge, as they will be updated only when connected back. This can be resolved by creating standalone patch management instead of a centralised one, or obtain automated patching of these endpoints via a reliable vendor.
Any vulnerable gaps like unpatched systems need to be tackled to avoid serious consequences like data corruption, data exfiltration, ransomware, and/or malware infection.
Also, companies need to avoid older applications which might not hold recent updates thus leaving their system vulnerable to bugs or worse.
Other hurdles which we can mention are the fact that there are a myriad of software patches released across various applications and systems, and how to tackle this ongoing procedure especially if a particular company has limited manpower who could be overwhelmed. This could lead to a lag in implementing patches, posing risks.
Moreover, it is good to mention that there are various IT environments, with some on premises, others remote, cloud-based or even a mix, all requiring different types of approaches to the patch management.
Patch Management – Best Practices
As aforementioned, patching is essential to avoid dire situations like breaches and malware, however it sometimes represent a headache for management to decide when and how to implement without interrupting productivity for a stretch of time.
Having said that it still is a must as it could determine the destiny of your company. So, let us delve deeper and explore some best practices which will ensure that your company is safe, efficient and successful.
Know Your Patching Needs
The IT team must be fully knowledgeable of the company`s requirements, with a plan in hand, addressing and focusing on the patches which need to be tackled by prioritisation, in tandem with end-users to establish the ideal time to implement.
Be Aware of Third-Party Patches
Unpatched third-party applications represent 60-70%, thus do not take anything for granted and keep monitoring and update applications. Automated tools can assist big time instead of manual execution.
Invest on Reliable Patch Management Tools
This will boost your organisation`s capabilities by monitoring, identifying missing patches and implementing them automatically. The IT team will thank you as automation streamlines processes and enhances accuracy, therefore your IT team can focus on other matters or critical tasks at hand.
In Conclusion
As you may appreciate by now then, patch management is essential to keep software in order and up to scratch, updated, and free from risks or weaknesses which could lead to an attempted cyberattack being, well, successful.
Organisations need to ensure that their IT team is monitoring their internal systems, and patch whenever there are updates, or the need to fix any vulnerabilities. This way productivity is guaranteed to keep flowing, while maintaining data integrity and meeting regulatory compliance requirements.
