Introduction
Information technology has created a digital world for us, but this same digital world also presents threats in the form of malicious software — programs designed to harm your data and/or steal confidential information from you. Hackers and cyber criminals are also threats that prey on vulnerabilities in your network to access your valuable data. Patching is one of the most effective ways to protect your system, and to protect against the dangers of malicious software.
Patch management is a proactive approach that can be difficult for organizations to implement, mostly because most managers see it as an unnecessary cost and time drain. But patching is one of the best ways you can protect yourself from cyber criminals who want to exploit vulnerabilities in order to gain access to your data and/or systems. It’s important that you have a well-designed patch management policy in place, as well as effective oversight of the entire process.
5 Reasons Why Strong Patch Management is Important
1. Patching Can Help Prevent System Corruption: With new software patches coming out every day, it can be easy to become complacent about updating your systems. But if you fail to stay updated, it can lead to unnecessary downtime and other problems that may require a complete system rebuild or reinstallation of the operating systems — an extremely costly endeavour.
2. Poorly Managed Patching Processes Can Increase System Vulnerability: Regardless of the level of expertise in your IT staff, managing a patch process on a day-to-day basis can become quite complicated, especially if you’re dealing with an outdated management system or trying to utilize manual processes and spreadsheets. If any one step along the way is overlooked or mismanaged, the entire patch process can fall apart.
3. Hackers and Cyber Criminals Target Insecure Systems: Within the first month of 2019, there were 1,819 new malicious software threats uncovered — up from 618 in 2018. It’s clear that hackers are still an ever-present danger that you can’t afford to dismiss.
Patch management can help secure your systems by keeping your software and operating system updates up-to-date. With a strong patching process in place, you’ll be able to:
- Protect Against Malicious Software: Regularly applying patches can keep your information technology infrastructure and assets running smoothly for longer periods of time before vulnerabilities are exploited.
- Enhance Computer Security: By making sure that all of your software applications — including operating systems, database management systems, and browsers — are updated with the latest security patches, you can avoid the threats posed by hackers and cyber criminals. Not only will this help to protect against unwanted intrusions into your system from the outside, but it can also help to protect your system from threats that may already be lurking within.
- Increase Network Performance: As a general rule, you want to make sure that the software you’re running on your network is always up-to-date with the latest patches. Keeping older versions of firmware and applications can slow performance over time. Patching is often a great remedy when systems begin to slow down.
- Save Money and Resources: With your patching process properly managed, you’ll be able to manage your resources more effectively, which in turn will lead to cost savings for the organization while also enhancing productivity.
4. Patching Can Stop Malicious Software Leaks: Viruses, Trojans, spyware, and other forms of malicious software can easily spread in your network, and may require a complete system wipe to remove.
5. Patching Can Prevent Data Theft: A well-informed hacker knows where to find the vulnerabilities on your system, so if you’re not patching regularly, they could exploit that hole within minutes. They may use the vulnerability for their own personal gain, or sell it to the highest bidder.
Conclusion
Patching is a key part of any information technology strategy. By keeping your organization’s information technology infrastructure and assets up-to-date, you can ward off costly problems, attacks, and security breaches before they become a major issue.
For more information on how you can utilise Webcom Solutions RMM software to help manage your systems and keep security up to date, give is a call on 1300 747 434, fill in our contact form or email us at [email protected]