BlogManaged IT
Patch management without disrupting work
By David Otieno, Senior ICT Consultant 1 min read
Updates close security holes. A schedule, a test group and clear communication keep systems patched without surprise restarts.
Many breaches exploit vulnerabilities for which updates were already available. Patching consistently is one of the most effective security habits — and one of the easiest to let slip.
Know what you have
You cannot patch what you do not know about. Keep an inventory of computers, servers, network devices and the software on them.
Set a schedule
- Operating systems and common applications on a regular monthly cycle.
- Critical security updates faster, especially for internet-facing systems.
- Network devices and firmware on a planned, less frequent cycle.
Test first
Apply updates to a small test group of devices before rolling them out to everyone. For servers, take a snapshot or backup before updating.
Communicate
Tell users when restarts will happen and keep them outside working hours where possible. Surprise restarts lead to updates being postponed indefinitely.
Measure compliance
Report the percentage of devices up to date and chase the ones that are not.
Plan for end of support
Systems that no longer receive updates should be replaced or isolated.
See our managed IT services.
About the author
David Otieno
Senior ICT Consultant
David Otieno writes about cybersecurity, physical security systems, power resilience and running IT reliably day to day.