Patch management is a critical component of a strong endpoint strategy. Bad actors take advantage of every system vulnerability, but all too often businesses are not up to date on the latest security patches leading to unnecessary risk. According to the Ponemon Institute, 57% of data breaches are attributed to poor patch management. As cyberattacks hit an all-time high with over 2,200 attacks per day according to Security Magazine, businesses of all sizes need to prioritize and proactively protect their most vulnerable devices.

What Is Patch Management?

Patch management is the process of updating firmware and hardware to improve functionality, tighten security standards, and optimize performance. It is used by businesses of all sizes to protect their biggest vulnerability: endpoint devices.

Why Is Patch Management Important?

Patch updating is essential to a holistic, strong endpoint strategy for your business. With 87% of workers working remotely at some time during the week and employees accessing sensitive files and applications from several devices in different locations throughout the day, keeping endpoint devices secure and operating at top performance is critical. There are four main benefits you gain by regularly patching your systems.

1. Improved Security

Without regular patching, your business is incredibly vulnerable to data breaches and hacks. Applications often release updates specifically to fix known vulnerabilities, so simply installing those updates goes a long way in keeping your organization protected.

2. Enhanced Functionality

Patches often include new features and improved user functionality, which makes a system easier to use. These improvements can support team collaboration, on-the-go work, and an overall better experience.

3. Increased Productivity

When software and hardware are proactively updated, it reduces the risk of potential failures and downtime. This helps increase overall employee productivity as systems are operating at their optimal capacity. Putting off patches can lead to a backlog of updates that can take your business offline for several days.

4. Better Regulatory Compliance

For adherence to regulatory standards, your business needs to be constantly running the most updated versions of software, or customers are at risk of having their data exposed and breached. Especially when going through an audit, you’ll need to have a patch management process in place to stay compliant with your industry’s regulations.

Improving Your Patch Management

Improving your systems and endpoints patching is a simple but effective step in creating a stronger cybersecurity foundation. Here are a few tips for better patch management.

• Automate: Use an automation tool that scans for patches to reduce the reliance on human team members remembering to patch systems.
• Create a plan: Proactively preparing for and having a regular patch schedule goes a long way in creating consistency. Having a written, formal plan helps gain leadership buy-in as well.
• Continuous scans: Staying on top of patches also leads to stronger validation, giving you peace of mind that an update is not going to break your system. Plus, you can stay more proactive on mission-critical security patches and prioritize those.

Work With TPx for Patch Management

For stronger endpoint management and endpoint security, work with an industry-leading partner that can help you better protect your business. Endpoints are often the weakest link, but they don’t have to be. TPx’s solutions are both powerful and cost-effective in reducing your vulnerabilities and risk, while keeping your business safe from ransomware and other cyberattacks.