Your Guide to Patch Management Process

As a business, it’s important to ensure that your digital presence and footprint is as safe and secure as possible. You are obviously using some platforms, applications and software to manage your business operations and functions. 
The question is, how effective and secure are these platforms and what can you do to make sure that all your activities and functions remain safe from external threats?
The answer – Patch Management!

So, What is Patch Management and Why Do You Need It?

It is a process of applying and distributing various important upgrades and updates to software that are an integral part of your business functions. 
You need to regularly ‘patch’ errors, bugs and other vulnerabilities that exist in your software to ensure end-to-end security of your application and by extension, your overall IT environment.
At Redpalm, with our guide to patch management process, you will understand just how important it is and how you can leverage it to fortify your business against cyber attacks and criminals. 
Some common areas that can benefit from patch management are:

• Applications and Software
• Operating Systems
• Embedded Systems 

Patch management process can be used to identify, address and fix a weakness or a loophole in a piece of software. 
At Redpalm, with our robust patch management solutions, we work with you to ensure that your business network remains secure and doesn’t fall prey to exploitation from external digital threats.

Patch Management Process and Procedures

When introducing a company-wide patch management framework, you should adopt a more strategic approach to derive maximum benefits from its application. With our robust IT support services, the experts at Redpalm work with you to implement a highly detailed patch management process that places special emphasis on security and cost-effectiveness. 
Here’s a glimpse into the process involved in implementing patch management in your organisation:

Create an up-to-date Record of All Your Production Systems 

You need to conduct a monthly or quarterly analysis of all the devices and applications that are a part of your IT network. This way, you can keep a track of all the assets that exist in your organisation’s ecosystem. 
For an educated view and understanding of all your operating systems, IP addresses and version types, you need attentive and persistent asset management, along with their respective locations and owners within your organisation. 
As a general rule of thumb, the more aware you are of your asset inventory maintenance and management, the better position you’ll be in to make informed and sound decisions. 

Formulate a Strategy to Standardise IT and Operating Systems of the Same Type

To reap patch management benefits in real time, standardising your asset inventory for enhanced efficiency is key. To speed up your regulatory process as and when new patches are released and applied, systemisation of assets will be crucial for better overall management. This will help save time and resources.

Create a List of All Security Features in Your Business

This includes keeping a comprehensive record of all the vulnerability management tools, firewalls and antivirus software you use. You’ll need to know where these are located exactly, what is their core function, what are they safeguarding, along with a list of assets that are linked to them. 

Collate Past Vulnerabilities with Your Existing Inventory

At Redpalm, we use a dedicated vulnerability management system to analyse which type of vulnerabilities exist for a particular asset in your organisation. This will help you understand your extent of exposure to potential threats. You can also start classifying which assets are integral to your business functions and accordingly prioritise patch remediation.

Conduct Simulated Technical Tests

Perform patch tests on a host of sample assets in a simulated environment. Stress test a batch of your technical assets to see if the application of patches has a negative impact on your production environment. 

Apply Organisation-Wide Patches

Once you’ve taken care of the order of priority, start introducing the patch management framework to curb the risk to your IT infrastructure and business environment. You can look into leveraging advanced patches to automate the whole process. 
Despite having the whole process tested, we recommend that you introduce the process in batches, just to cover all bases and to prepare yourself to take action if things don’t go as planned. 

Keep Tabs on Your Progress

Revaluate all your IT assets, systems and infrastructure to ascertain the success of your patch management in accordance with industry standards. 

Contact Redpalm for Secure and Efficient Patch Management Solutions

At Redpalm our end-to-end robust IT support will enable you to make the most of your IT security. It’s important to patch all your software and applications in a timely manner, as and when updates are released to benefit from the latest security measures. 
Plus, when you have the latest security patches installed, you’ll be in a better position to deal with external threats (if any) and keep your business information safe at all times.
To find out more about how you can benefit from our patch management solutions, give us a call!