Patch management refers to managing and installing the newest patches – code modifications that enhance the system or handle security vulnerabilities – on different systems across the network. Tasks, such as deciding which patches are suitable for specific systems to ensure the patches are configured correctly and post-testing the systems are all under the patch management. The goal of patch management is to maintain multiple systems on a network by ensuring they are up-to-date and protecting them against different types of malware and hacking. You require a patch management solution for proper patching. But how does patch management software benefit your business?
1. System Security Enhancement
Security is the main reason why most organizations want an automatic patch management solution. Software sellers release fresh patches after some time. The main goal is to repair security susceptibilities that individuals can exploit by trying to harm IT systems or the network and malicious software. Applying safety patches in a well-timed manner greatly moderates the risk of a cybersecurity breach and all related issues such as data theft, reputational concerns, data loss, or legal penalties.
2. You are in Possession of the Up-To-Date Technology
Patching is not only about fixing bugs, but it also involves introducing new functionality and features. The technology world moves at a rapid pace. And with an automatic patch management solution, your business can stay up-to-date with the latest technology developments without the need to toil a lot. This is because the patches generally include new functionality or features and extend maintenance to supplementary platforms.
3. Improve the Productivity of Your Business
An effective system that deploys patches across the network helps improve your business productivity in many ways. Regularly, patches come with operation enhancements for products to which they apply or fix bugs. Assisting employees in solving these problems increases productivity. Enhanced security also increases productivity. In most cases, malware is not the theft of confidential business data, but downtime that severely affects efficiency. The effect ranges from overcrowded networks or systems slowed by malware activity, to critical failures in commercial applications and systems that are entirely compromised and must be installed from scratch.
4. Improved Productivity of the IT Department
Throughput gains are easy to measure within the information technology department. You only need to determine how many individuals and hours of work it takes to manually patch systems and the amount you save with an automatic patch management software. For companies with over 20 to 25 computers on their local area network, the nuisances and time needed for physical patching are consequently high. If the corporation doesn’t have a way out to computerize patch management, it probably avoids patching completely, or only the critical servers are given attention.
5. Compliance
Recently, compliance has to turn into a significant driver for corporations to put into effect a patch management solution. There is a growing body of laws and regulations that impose security best practices on businesses, and applying full system patches is among the most critical security guidelines. These rules hit the hardest at government agencies, financial service providers, and healthcare institutions. However, the trend is for all corporations to be safe enough to protect the data and the privacy of their employees, clients, and partners. Here are some of the best standards related to information technology infrastructure security: PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), SOX (Sarbanes – Oxley Act), GLB/GLBA (Gramm – Leach – Bliley Act), FERPA, GCSx CoCo (Extranet Security Connection Government – Code of Connection), HIPAA, and FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act). If you fail to comply with the rules, you may lose opportunities, incur financial and legal penalties, or even suffer loss of business.
Finally, the biggest concern for most companies is the number of patches, and the workforce needed to manage them. Still, with patch management and modern technologies, patches may be managed more efficiently. Patches are required to ensure that systems are repaired, updated, and protected from vulnerabilities and security bugs in the software. If not resolved, the network is doubly vulnerable. The vulnerability not only exists, but it has been released as well, making it probable to be misused by hackers, malicious users, and virus writers.
