Common Issues with Patch Management

What is Patch Management?

Patch management is a process that helps develop, test and install more than one patch on current applications and software tools on a computer, making sure the systems stay updated on current patches and deciding which of the patches is the appropriate one. 

Patch management is generally done by IT organizations to help break down existing software programs and as part of their internal attempt to fix problems with the different versions of software programs and discover any lack of security features.

Regardless of your industry, it is essential that all your technology systems are updated and patched. Making sure that all systems are updated and patched is an exhaustive and tedious task. Various common patch management issues are always in the mind of all IT professionals.

Overcoming these situations is vital to protecting your data and infrastructure. A recent research from Microsoft found that between 70% to 80% of the top 10 malware viruses could be avoided if the technology is properly updated.

Getting over these common patch management issues is an essential advantage of trusting your system management to a managed patch provider. Some of the problems we usually see and how you can understand how to prevent them from happening will be discussed in this article.

Common Patch Management Problems

1. Lack of Patch Deployment Report

One of the greatest common patch management difficulties that we realize is the lack of visibility into what patches have been deployed and on what devices. Patch compliance cannot be ensured within the organization without a holistic patch report. You must be able to realize the systems related to any patch vulnerabilities and get the status of all security patches that are deployed.

This problem can be solved by a managed service provider. Through client-specific access, patch managers can offer 24/7 access for organizations in helping them combat patch management issues. Among several other things concerning the information about a person’s support services, patch management providers offer a comprehensive look at all patches that have been deployed on many systems.

2. Unexpected Patch Failures

Several things can go wrong when installing new patches on systems. The problems that arise due to compatibility issues with current software components and weaknesses within the patch itself leave your system open to vulnerabilities.

At times, the reason for a patch failure is as a result of you installing the patch and forgetting to reboot the system. In some cases, it is not that easy. Perhaps your internal IT support system is not efficient or maybe you’re relying on your ability to fix the issue. You may easily become confused and frustrated.

In order to avoid these persistent patch management issues, you will need to outsource your updates and patches to a well-qualified service provider. 

With your access to the latest patch management know-how and proactively preserving your infrastructure, your support will perceive the majority of problems before they get installed on your system. This now eradicates the possibility of a patch failure from the inception.

3. Lack of Mobile Control

Most of the time, IT security finds it very difficult to control mobile devices. However, the anxieties that surround mobile devices do not stop at security. The common patch management issues are the capability to implement updates and patches in order to keep corporate information safe on a mobile device that may or may not belong to the organization. 

With a qualified patch provider who can provide all-inclusive mobile device management, you can ensure that information moving out of your environment on a mobile phone or tablet device will be protected as well through controlling the devices end-to-end.

4. Manual Patching

Manually patching all applications on all systems in your organization is not a satisfactory and practical solution. This is a well-known fact in large businesses where the application inventory classically ranges from hundreds to thousands. In a perfect world, it is certain that IT would have the resources and time to execute each of these updates one after the other. But this is not a perfect world.

The interesting thing to know is that most of the time, manual patching is not even required. A professional patch provider can remotely carry out most patches required within the company and relieve internal teams from having to do so.

5. Regulatory Compliance Requirements

Timely, efficient and effective patch management plays a very important role in making sure that your company can meet the industry-specific compliance standard requirements. This leads to an additional layer of headache and concerns for the IT professionals. Nevertheless, the inability to meet these requirements will have huge financial implications if a compliance audit is failed.

Having your patch management outsourced to a MSP will also ameliorate you from having concerns about compliance requirements. Compliance requirements, such as those linked to HIPAA, PCI, PII, SOX, and others, will be deep-rooted into your SLA which will describe how patches are being handled across your company.

How a Patch Provider Can Help with Patch Management Service

Based on the above discussion, outsourcing your patch management needs to a reputable service provider relieves your IT experts from having to be concerned about the state of updates and patches within the organization.  

There are other several benefits to applying software patching which consists of adding features and fixing bugs that did not allow the software to work in a proper way. 

Basically, all software has to be patched. Whether the software is an app that is in your tablet device, sits on a desk and runs on a server, or situated on a chip within a firewall, it all needs to be periodically patched and updated in order to be safeguarded.

Are you interested in knowing more about different patch management issues and how to prevent them? If yes, contact Vicarius today to find out more about our services. Vicarius is a vulnerability management software that aims at cybersecurity operators and officers, as well as IT security and operators from the U.S. market.

Photo by Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash

Common patch management issues are always in the mind of IT professionals. Overcoming these situations is key to protecting your data and infrastructure.