Implementing a company patch management policy is a more than essential practice. Indeed, the latter will constitute the first defense against cyberattacks, which are the number one enemy of companies, whatever their size.
How is it characterized and what are the issues? We tell you everything.
Patch management (also called “Patch management”) corresponds to all updates to operating systems and software, but also to all bug fixes and improvements that can occur within an IT environment. professional.
What does a good patch management policy look like?
Updating all available patches, knowing which patches are appropriate for each system and machine, creating and updating a patch schedule, and thoroughly testing systems and other devices once the patches are applied. fixes carried out.
Patch management begins with a complete inventory of the network/IT estate.
With the Network Discovery tool , you will get a complete and detailed view of the devices, software and other components of the customer network. You will then have what constitutes a basis for reflection to build your strategy for managing the necessary patches.
Automation is the ally of a good patch management policy. It helps streamline the activity of a managed service provider to make patch management efficient, functional and proactive. All this while saving significant time.
Speaking of saving time, patch management can be a mammoth task that hampers the work process and leads to conflicts between departments over the patch schedule.. Thus, an effective patch management policy will anticipate conflicts and provide advice on how to resolve them in order to keep work downtime to a minimum.
Good patch management scales as needed. You will not necessarily need to install all the patches at the same time, and depending on the machines, devices and their uses. This therefore requires a good assessment on the part of the MSP of the given situation at a given moment.
Patch management allows your IT assets to operate continuously while complying with established standards and regulatory requirements.
The goal is to produce a standardized remediation process so that technicians can make informed decisions at any stage of the remediation process, including when correcting errors and handling contingencies
Patch management is what protects an IT fleet from its own vulnerabilities. Today, unpatched vulnerabilities account for one in three vulnerabilities worldwide.
Although it is today almost impossible to prevent all cyberattacks from occurring, patch management is there to limit their number and especially their consequences. We saw this in particular during the COVID-19 period and the sudden increase in teleworking, the period turned out to be a gold mine for hackers who collected an impressive quantity of data, highlighting the flaws of numerous IT parks.
These security incidents could have been largely avoided if strong patch management policies had been implemented more conscientiously.
Without a patch management policy, businesses may have difficulty identifying critical patches. Additionally, without a detailed process to follow, patches may be installed incorrectly, which can cause applications and devices to crash and therefore disrupt business.
According to Project Zero , the Google team specializing in computer vulnerabilities, it takes on average 52 days to correct security vulnerabilities (a clear improvement considering that the time limit was 80 days 3 years ago).
Another figure, it takes around 200 days to apply a patch on a so-called “regular” flaw and 256 days for a so-called severe flaw.
Fixing security vulnerabilities is therefore a difficult and time-consuming task. Hence the crucial importance of implementing a patch management policy as early as possible to prevent a worsening or increase in security vulnerabilities on your customers’ IT assets
As you will have understood, establishing a good patch management policy ensures that risks are managed quickly so that companies do not fall prey to large-scale cyberattacks.
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