Patch Management

Keeping your company’s software and systems up-to-date with the latest security patches is essential for protecting against cyber attacks.  

Patch management is a process that keeps your technology up-to-date and secure by installing software updates (patches) that fix known issues and vulnerabilities. 

Patch management is important because it can help you avoid these problems: 

• Security risks: When you don’t apply patches promptly, you leave your systems vulnerable to cyber-attacks. These attacks can harm your data, reputation, and finances. 
• Compliance issues: Some regulations and standards require you to have a patch management process in place. Failing to comply with them can lead to fines or legal liabilities. 
• Operational disruptions: Outdated or incompatible software can cause system errors or crashes that can affect your productivity and customer service. It can also increase your IT support costs and staff workload. 
• Lack of innovation: By not updating your software regularly, you miss out on the latest features and improvements that can help you stay competitive and agile. 

To avoid these problems, you need to have a patch management plan that includes these steps: 

• Prioritizing the patches based on their importance and relevance to your environment 
• Testing the patches before deploying them to your systems 
• Documenting the patches for audit and compliance purposes 
• Scheduling regular patch cycles to ensure that you keep up with the latest updates. 

By doing so, you can reduce the risks of cyber-attacks, comply with regulations, maintain your system stability, and stay innovative. It may require some investment in time and resources, but it’s a small price to pay for the peace of mind and business continuity that patch management can bring. 

SOLVit offers a range of security solutions to especially meet the ever-changing IT requirements for small to medium businesses.