What is Patch Management?
Patch Management is part of vulnerability management that involves deploying software updates known as “patches” to technology assets. 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.
Organization’s 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.