The Importance of Patch Management

29 Sep 2022

What is Patch Management?

Patch management is the process of distributing and applying updates to software. These patches are often necessary to correct vulnerabilities or bugs in the software.

Common areas that will need patches include operating systems, applications and network equipment. When a vulnerability is found after the release of a piece of software, a patch can be used to fix it. Doing so helps ensure that assets in your environment are not susceptible to exploitation.

The different types of patches

Patches can be classified into the following categories:

•     Critical patches – These are the highest severity of non-security related patches. They are used to fix errors and bugs within an application
•     Security patches – Security patches address security vulnerabilities, thereby securing them from being exploited by hackers and other threat actors.
•     Feature update patches – Feature update patches introduce newer features and functions to software. In addition, they also enhance performance, making software faster and more efficient.

Why is Patch Management Important?

The number of ransomware attacks is increasing exponentially with each passing day. For organisations with multiple servers and computers, ensuring that all of them are updated can be both time-consuming and challenging. Trying to manually manage these patches is not only hectic but also a major risk for businesses. Here are some key reasons that state the importance of patch management:

Preventing security breaches: Patch management is one of the most important IT tasks in any organisation, as patches fix vulnerabilities in the software and applications, keeping cyber security attacks at bay. When left unpatched, software and operating systems can put your organisation in the path of severe security breaches.
Ensuring compliance: With cybercrime on the rise, regulatory agencies have taken measures to keep enterprises in line with compliance standards.
Downtime prevention: Ransomware attacks and other cyber threats not only result in data breaches but can also cause system downtime. This in turn affects the productivity and revenue of any organisation.

 

LoughTec provides automated and scheduled patch management as part of our support to our customers. Ensuring all servers and desktops are compliant, giving customers the best chance against cybercrime.

Contact Cyber Security Company LoughTec for a free no-obligation discussion on your business cyber security posture. Call +44 (0) 28 8225 2445 or email info@loughtec.com.