Why do I need Patch Management?

OGL Computer

Let’s face it, Patch Management has a reputation of being boring.

It can sometimes, even be considered an inconvenience, expensive and can potentially introduce issues.

This could all be true when not managed correctly.

Every business should be adopting a patch management strategy, and the key for it to work successfully is having it managed by professionals.

So, what is Patch Management?

Keeping your servers, workstations and routers updated, stable and secure is becoming a more critical part of IT support, even more so, with the ever-increasing risk of security vulnerabilities being exploited on a regular basis.

Patch Management is a fully managed service where your devices can be updated remotely to help maintain efficiency, capability and ensuring the best security practises are applied.

Why do I need to use a Patch Management service?

Security! Security is the main reason why businesses are using a patch management service and it’s critical for not only highlighting, but fixing, vulnerabilities.

With cyber-attacks appearing more frequently in the news, it’s imperative businesses keep their devices updated to help stop hackers exploiting security weaknesses.

In fact, with your devices patched you are less likely to be affected by a cyber-attack as around 70% of cyber-attacks exploit known vulnerabilities.

A patched server or PC is less susceptible to malware and other viruses, it’s that simple.

Un-patched software is also a magnet for malware, and hackers are actively targeting businesses whose IT systems aren’t patched as they know they are much more likely to be successful.

Applying security patches in a timely fashion, highly reduces the risk of having a security breach and all the related problems that come with it, such as data theft, data loss, reputation issues or even legal penalties.

However, Patch Management can offer more than just highlighting and fixing security vulnerabilities.

It can help company productivity too!

Having a service that updates your devices, regularly and proactively, keeps your infrastructure consistent as patches can include performance improvements and fix errors which are frequently causing your systems to crash.

Working on the latest patch will help stop regular crashes, leaving employees free to work without the hassle of downtime.

Patch Management can also reduce downtime by not relying heavily on your Internal IT department.

There’s no way around it, patching performed by your Internal IT resource is time consuming!

For example, if your company has over 20 computers in their network, updating each computer in work hours could be a serious headache and have a detrimental effect on your business.

If your organisation doesn’t have a solution to automate patch management, they may not even attempt the job or it could only be limited to critical servers.

A fully managed Patch Management service can free up the pressure of your Internal IT and give you peace of mind that your devices are running the correct and updated patches.

How should it be managed?

When not managed correctly, update services can stop, fail and be overridden by end users.

The best and secure way to handle Patch Management is through a controlled and dedicated service.

Patch Management should only be performed by professionals, such as a dedicated team of Patching Engineers.

More and more companies are now outsourcing their Patch Management and seeing hugely successful results. Outsourcing can offer you peace of mind, increase productivity and allows your patching to be done by professionals, performed remotely.

When managed by professionals they can be responsible for managing the approval of patch application, monitoring the success of each patch and patch reporting.

So, outsourcing your Patch Management service is the obvious choice.

What should I do?

Talk! If you feel your business can benefit from Patch Management, talk to OGL Computer, who can offer a number of Patch Management options.

We’ll be more than happy to listen to your questions in order to best determine if Patch Management is right for your business, and if so, which options you would benefit from most.

For more information visit: www.ogl.co.uk/patch-management or you can call us on 01299 873 873 and a Patch Management expert will be happy to help.

Sources: https://techtalk.gfi.com/5-benefits-automating-patch-management/ © 2018 OGL Computer Services Group Ltd.