5 Common Patch Management Problems

Regardless of your industry, staying proactive with patch management can be a time consuming but extremely important effort. This is where a managed patching provider can be an invaluable resource.

If you were to conduct a survey of businesses to discover whether or not they are happy with their patch management strategy, the majority of them would likely say that they struggle with patch management processes and are overall dissatisfied with their patch management system. If you are one of the businesses that is constantly burdened by patch management, here are a few of the most common issues companies face and how a managed patching provider can help.

Lack of Report Availability

Depending upon the system you are using, lack of access to detailed reports is a common problem with a lot of businesses. Patching reports which are lacking in detail can place a number of devices and applications at risk, not to mention your entire infrastructure. And, if you are an organization which must meet specific industry compliance standards, this can prove to be disastrous.

At the minimum, patch reports should be able to help you identify the status of security patches on all devices across the organization. This includes devices which are missing patches, patches which have been installed on specific devices, and the number of devices which require updates, to name a few details in a patch report. The more advanced reporting systems help you to stay on top of a complete patch management system using automated processes and the latest reporting technologies.

Unexpected Patch Failures

Most patch management systems are not designed with the capability to detect events in advance which may lead to a patch failure. When patch failure occurs, it leaves the system open to vulnerabilities and attacks as the result of a patch which has become corrupt.

By having access to the latest patch management technologies, you can easily identify a condition which may cause a patch to fail before it poses a security risk to your infrastructure. Instead of simply checking to see if a patch is listed, the latest reporting technologies will indicate a potential problem in advance to allow you to resolve the situation before disaster strikes.

Local Area Networks and VPNs

The majority of the patch management systems are designed to monitor patching on internal servers. This limits their capability to monitor mobile devices and machines in a remote location which are outside of the company network. The end result is only the devices connected to the Local Area Network (LAN) or a Virtual Private Network (VPN) are being monitored by the patch management system. Meanwhile, mobile and remote users are accessing web-based applications without connecting to the internal network.

A managed patching provider can provide you with access to the latest patch management technologies without having to invest additional costs to deploy the architecture necessary to monitor devices outside the network. This typically requires redundant servers and other deduplication technologies which increase costs and leave the system vulnerable to human errors.

Unexpected Patch Failures

Most patch management systems are not designed with the capability to detect events in advance which may lead to a patch failure. When patch failure occurs, it leaves the system open to vulnerabilities and attacks as the result of a patch which has become corrupt.

By having access to the latest patch management technologies, you can easily identify a condition which may cause a patch to fail before it poses a security risk to your infrastructure. Instead of simply checking to see if a patch is listed, the latest reporting technologies will indicate a potential problem in advance to allow you to resolve the situation before disaster strikes.

Manual Patching

Businesses that do not have access to the latest patch management technologies commonly use traditional manual patching processes which require widespread scripting in order to effectively install device patches. This process is very time consuming and vulnerable to human error.

The manual processes typically include patch monitoring and updates, patch assessments, creation and distribution of patch packages, installation confirmations, and continual monitoring processes. This adds up to a significant time investment when you are using a manual process. This is where a managed patching provider can easily provide you with access to the latest best practices and automated processes, in addition to focused expertise on effective patch management strategies.

Problems Meeting Compliance Requirements

Effective patch management plays an important role in meeting industry-specific compliance requirements. This means additional costs for businesses with limited budgets which can lead to hefty fines if the standards are not met. For example, a Payment Card Industry (PCI) violation can command a hefty fine which can range up to as much as $100K for each month the standards were not met.

For this reason, a managed patching provider can oversee compliance requirements while providing your business with an affordable way to ensure your infrastructure meets all standards. A managed patching provider is proactive while using the latest technologies at a fraction of the cost of implementing necessary IT requirements in-house.

The latest patching technologies also include new features which can provide businesses with additional functionalities which open up new opportunities for improved services.

If you considering using a managed patch hosting provider to assist your company, contact Thrive Networks today to speak with one of our patch management experts.