What is patch management?

Software patches are applied to:

• Address known security vulnerabilities;
• Fix bugs;
• Improve performance; and/or
• Add features.

Patch management helps reduce a system’s attack surface by removing exploitable vulnerabilities that hostile actors can use to gain access or compromise the system.

Organizations conduct patch management by:

• Regularly scanning for missing patches;
• Prioritizing patches based on risk and criticality;
• Testing patches in a controlled, non-production environment;
• Deploying patches efficiently to production systems; and
• Verifying successful installation.

Automated tools and centralized management consoles help with efficient patch management to maintain an up-to-date and secure environment, while minimizing disruption to business operations.