As a free, open source system, Linux has grown in popularity among developers, who often add Linux instances to a Windows-dominant environment.
This presents unique challenges to IT Managers who need full visibility into their entire infrastructure in order to keep up with security patching across both Windows and Linux servers. So is there a patching solution for Windows and Linux? Absolutely, let’s look at why we need it.
Why you need a patching solution for both Windows and Linux
Linux servers come in a variety of distros, including RedHat, Ubuntu, and SUSE, meaning that patching across the various Linux distribution options is inherently more difficult than patching Windows servers.
Given that patching just one type of server can present several challenges and that very few environments are Linux-only, it’s easy to see why IT Managers often struggle with effectively patching both Windows and Linux environments.
Because Linux has an open-source codebase, bugs and vulnerabilities are introduced often and must be patched to avoid exploitation - each new Linux version includes more than 10,000 patches.
Each Linux distro has a different way of handling patches, and these solutions can often be cumbersome, potentially conflict with one another, or may offer limited control over patching.
As a result, businesses need to utilize several different patching solutions, turn to a configuration management tool such as Chef or Puppet, or employ an expensive on-premise solution that requires ongoing maintenance and support.
Effectively patching Linux distros is a challenge for many companies given the lack of affordable patching tools that work for all Linux setups, and when you add in the effort it takes to update Windows systems, patching becomes an extremely laborious task. This results in either IT teams dedicating many hours a week to patching, or risking an attack due to some servers being neglected.
IT Managers lack full visibility into Linux matters
Further complicating matters is the lack of visibility IT Managers often have into Linux instances, which may quickly be spun up as virtual machines and left unaccounted for for months.
Without full infrastructure visibility, Linux servers may proliferate and lead to a network with dark endpoints.
To ensure both Linux and Windows servers are quickly and fully patched when new vulnerabilities are announced, companies should turn to cloud-native automated patch management solutions that patch Windows and multiple Linux distros.
Cloud-native solutions to the rescue
With cloud-native automation, you can manage all of your servers, including on-premise, private cloud, or third-party public cloud.
Another benefit of cloud-native patch automation, like Automox, is the ability to manage all of your endpoints, both servers and workstations, from a single dashboard. You can see the real time patch status of every endpoint and configure the automation to your needs, from set it and forget it updating to meeting your existing patch testing process, you’re in control.
Automox was purposely built so that patching across operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac, is seamless.
After installing Automox’s lightweight, cloud-native agent, IT Managers immediately have infrastructure visibility, can patch within minutes if they so choose, and can see detailed reports on patch status.
Automox for Easy IT Operations
Automox is the cloud-native IT operations platform for modern organizations. It makes it easy to keep every endpoint automatically configured, patched, and secured – anywhere in the world. With the push of a button, IT admins can fix critical vulnerabilities faster, slash cost and complexity, and win back hours in their day.
Grab your free trial of Automox and join thousands of companies transforming IT operations into a strategic business driver.
