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Maintaining an updated, patched infrastructure is the best way to protect your networks from attacks exploiting known vulnerabilities. Too often, patching gets pushed to the bottom of a long list of IT tasks.
Summary: Effective patch management requires five core practices: maintaining a complete endpoint inventory, establishing regular patching schedules, addressing third-party applications, generating compliance reports, and implementing automation. Organizations that follow these practices reduce their attack surface and minimize the risk of breaches caused by known vulnerabilities.
While patching may feel time-consuming, the consequences of leaving networks vulnerable are far more costly. Research shows that 60% of data breaches trace back to unpatched vulnerabilities. To avoid putting your infrastructure at risk, follow these patch management best practices.
What are the core patch management best practices?
| Practice | Purpose | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Endpoint inventory | Know what devices and applications exist | Identify security risks across the network |
| Regular scheduling | Establish consistent patch cadence | Reduce likelihood of missed updates |
| Third-party patching | Address non-OS vulnerabilities | Close gaps legacy tools miss |
| Compliance reporting | Track patch status across endpoints | Enable rapid incident response |
| Automation | Streamline patch deployment | Eliminate delays and human error |
Why is endpoint inventory essential for patch management?
Without knowing what devices, applications, and operating systems are in use, IT teams have no way of identifying those that may be putting the entire network at risk. As employees access networks from home and remote locations, keeping track of systems has become more critical.
A complete endpoint inventory should include:
All workstations and servers by operating system
Installed applications and their versions
Device locations and network segments
Patch status and last update timestamps
With a cloud-based solution like Automox, you maintain an accurate inventory with real-time visibility of patch status across your endpoints. Learn more about endpoint management strategies.
How do you create an effective patching schedule?
If patching is completed on an irregular schedule, patches will inevitably be skipped. Providers such as Microsoft release patches monthly on Patch Tuesday, but companies need to monitor multiple operating systems and software applications for updates.
With automated patching, you can set schedules based on:
Vulnerability severity level
Department or business unit
Geographic location and time zone
Operating system type
Application criticality
Research correlates timely patching with reduced breach risk. Once a policy is set, it runs automatically with patches either applied immediately or staged as part of your change management process. Patches that fail to apply trigger alerts so you can investigate and resolve the issue.
Why does third-party application patching matter?
While patching often focuses on operating systems from Microsoft, Apple, or Linux, third-party applications account for a significant percentage of vulnerabilities. Studies show that third-party software is responsible for 76% of vulnerabilities on the average PC.
Applications like browsers, Java, Adobe products, and productivity software present attractive targets for attackers due to their widespread use and inconsistent patching.
Patching third-party applications is often overlooked because legacy on-premises solutions like WSUS struggle to handle them. With modern cloud-based solutions, applying patches for third-party applications is as straightforward as applying OS patches. Automox handles all of these patches in a single dashboard, becoming your single source of truth on patch status.
How do patch compliance reports improve security?
Readily available data on patch status is almost as important as patching itself. When new vulnerabilities are disclosed, IT teams must immediately assess potential impact across their network.
Effective patch reporting enables you to:
Identify unpatched endpoints within minutes
Generate compliance documentation for audits
Track patch success rates over time
Prioritize remediation based on risk
If patching reports are generated manually or through a combination of several systems, compiling datasets becomes difficult. Maintaining updated reports on the patch status of every workstation and server improves response time and reduces your attack surface. For more on compliance tracking, see the guide on IT and compliance reporting.
What are the benefits of automated patch management?
Automated patch management streamlines the patching process by implementing all of the best practices listed above while eliminating the risk associated with delayed patch application.
| Manual Patching | Automated Patching |
|---|---|
| Time-consuming and error-prone | Consistent and reliable |
| Difficult to scale | Scales to thousands of endpoints |
| Reactive approach | Proactive and scheduled |
| Limited visibility | Real-time dashboards |
| High labor costs | Reduced operational overhead |
Modern cloud-based patching solutions like Automox are accessible to businesses of any size and enable IT departments to get and stay patched economically and efficiently. Organizations using automation can reduce patching time by more than 50% compared to manual approaches.
How do you implement these best practices?
Follow these steps to establish an effective patch management program:
Audit your current state - Inventory all endpoints and document existing patch processes
Define patch policies - Establish SLAs based on vulnerability severity (critical within 24-48 hours)
Select automation tools - Choose a solution that supports all your operating systems and third-party applications
Configure scheduling - Set maintenance windows that minimize business disruption
Enable monitoring - Implement dashboards and alerts for patch failures
Review and iterate - Assess patch compliance monthly and adjust policies as needed
Frequently asked questions
Critical vulnerabilities should be patched within 24 to 48 hours of patch availability. High-severity patches should be applied within one week. Regular security updates can follow a monthly schedule aligned with vendor release cycles like Patch Tuesday. The exact cadence depends on your risk tolerance and compliance requirements.
The biggest challenge is maintaining visibility across diverse environments with multiple operating systems, remote workers, and third-party applications. Many organizations struggle because their legacy tools only handle Windows OS patches, leaving gaps in coverage for macOS, Linux, and third-party software.
Prioritize patches based on vulnerability severity (CVSS score), whether active exploits exist in the wild, the criticality of affected systems, and your exposure level. Internet-facing systems and those handling sensitive data should receive patches before internal workstations.
Yes. Modern patch management solutions allow you to schedule deployments during maintenance windows, stage patches through test groups before broad deployment, and configure automatic reboots outside business hours. Features like deployment rings help minimize disruption while maintaining security.
Track patch compliance percentage (target 95% or higher), mean time to patch for critical vulnerabilities, patch failure rates, and coverage across operating systems and applications. These metrics help identify gaps in your patching program and demonstrate security posture to leadership.