Patch management

Everything you need to know about patch management

As cyber threats become increasingly frequent and complex, keeping systems secure is no longer optional, it’s essential. One of the simplest yet most often neglected defenses against breaches is timely software patching. Unpatched vulnerabilities remain a leading cause of data breaches, outages, and compliance violations.

Recent market research highlights just how critical patch management has become. According to Market Data Forecast, the global patch management market was worth USD 799 million in 2024 and is expected to reach nearly USD 1.995 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 10.7%. This surge reflects the growing reliance on automated tools to protect infrastructure and ensure operational continuity.

In this blog, we will explore what patch management is, why it matters, how it works, and what best practices you can follow to build a proactive and secure patching strategy.

What is patch management?

Patch management is the systematic process of managing updates for software applications, operating systems, and embedded systems. These updates, commonly known as patches, are released by software vendors to address security vulnerabilities, fix bugs, enhance performance, or introduce new features.

Patch management involves multiple stages, including identifying which systems require updates, acquiring the relevant patches, thoroughly testing them to avoid system conflicts, deploying them across the organization, and continuously monitoring for any issues that arise post-deployment.

An effective patch management process is critical for maintaining the security, stability, and compliance of IT systems. Without regular patching, systems become exposed to known exploits that can be leveraged by cyber attackers, potentially leading to data breaches, service disruptions, or loss of sensitive information.

Patch management ensures the availability, security, and performance across all devices or endpoints in the enterprise.

Additional read: What’s next for your solo MSP?

Where do patches originate?

Patches are often bits of software or operating code developed by operating system developers, vendors of hardware, or by a software application's vendor. They are designed to address vulnerabilities, known errors or bugs, and release new features. These vendors create the patches to bring these changes to market more quickly, and in the case of vulnerabilities, some of them are urgently needed to protect systems and services. The IT patch management process ensures they reach the designated endpoints in a timely manner. It also must wade through hundreds of patches made available to ensure the most critical fixes are applied first.

Types of patches and their priorities

IT patch management should leverage policies to address the urgency levels of different types of patches and prioritize them, including:

• New features/functionality: Routine patches with new functionality that is in high demand. While not critical to protect the enterprise, patch management programs will distribute these to endpoints, often to desktops and laptops, so that the business may leverage them. As some of these may include innovative features that offer a competitive advantage to the business, they should be deployed promptly even though they are not as critical as other patches.

• Security vulnerability patches: These are the most critical patches to be distributed as they fix weaknesses in software and operating systems that could be exploited by hackers to gain access to systems or otherwise interrupt service. A good patch management practice is able to address these rapidly to avoid loss of availability. Every organization needs a way to know of new vulnerabilities that have been discovered and whether they affect systems within the organization's digital environment. A good IT patch management program will interface with Security Operations (SecOps) practices to ensure that any vulnerabilities cataloged by NIST are addressed as quickly as practical.

• Bug fixes: When vendors have repaired a reported software defect or bundle of defects, they will release patches that can be applied to address these bugs. Prioritization of these can be cross-referenced against an internal known error database to ensure that those already affecting end users are prioritized appropriately.

Patch management ensures that patches can be prioritized and delivered where and when needed on a timely basis, regardless of the type of endpoint. Without patch management software, it is difficult to manage the delivery of the right patches to the right environment and ensure every endpoint meets the requirements needed to operate the patched software or OS.

What are the benefits of patch management?

Patch management provides several critical benefits that help organizations maintain secure, reliable, and efficient IT environments. Here are the main advantages:

1. Enhanced security: Patching vulnerabilities promptly helps protect systems from cyber threats such as malware, ransomware, and data breaches. It reduces the attack surface and prevents exploitation of known weaknesses in software and operating systems.

2. Improved system stability and performance: Patches often include bug fixes that resolve crashes, glitches, or performance bottlenecks. This leads to smoother system operation, fewer downtime incidents, and better user experiences.

3. Regulatory compliance: Many industry regulations and standards (e.g., HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR) require the timely patching of systems to ensure data protection and risk management. Patch management helps organizations stay compliant and avoid legal or financial penalties.

4. Reduced downtime and business disruption: By proactively addressing issues through patching, organizations can prevent unexpected outages or system failures, ensuring continuous operations and service availability.

5. Cost saving: Preventing security breaches and system failures through effective patching can save organizations significant costs associated with incident response, data recovery, legal actions, and reputational damage.

6. Access to new features and improvements: Patches sometimes include enhancements or new functionalities that improve software capabilities or user experience, allowing businesses to take advantage of the latest tools and technologies.

7. Centralized and automated management: Modern patch management solutions allow IT teams to automate the update process, reducing manual effort, increasing accuracy, and allowing better control over software environments.
   

Patch management vs. vulnerability management

Patch management and vulnerability management are closely related but serve different purposes within an organization’s cybersecurity framework. Patch management specifically focuses on the process of acquiring, testing, and deploying software updates, known as patches, to fix known security flaws and software issues. Its main goal is to keep systems and applications current and protected against threats. Read how cybersecurity is helping schools stay protected.

On the other hand, vulnerability management is a broader, continuous process that involves identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and mitigating all types of security weaknesses across the IT environment. This includes not only missing patches but also configuration errors, software bugs, and other potential vulnerabilities. Essentially, patch management is a critical component of vulnerability management, providing one of the key ways to address identified risks. Together, these processes help organizations reduce their attack surface and strengthen their overall security posture.

How does patch management work?

Patch management follows a structured, multi-step process to ensure that updates are applied safely and effectively across an organization’s IT systems. Here is how it typically works:

What are the examples of patch management?

Patch management takes many forms depending on the type of software, systems, and organizational needs. Here are some common examples showing how patch management is applied in real-world scenarios:

• Operating system updates are a common example, where organizations regularly install security patches and feature updates for systems like Windows, macOS, or Linux.

• Application patching involves updating software such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, or web browsers to fix bugs, close security vulnerabilities, and improve performance.

• Firmware and device driver updates ensure hardware components like routers, printers, and storage devices operate securely and efficiently by applying manufacturer-released patches.

• Third-party software maintenance includes patching databases, content management systems, and other external applications to protect against vulnerabilities outside the core IT environment.

• Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions are used to deploy patches to mobile devices, ensuring smartphones and tablets receive timely security updates.

• Automated patch management tools help organizations detect, deploy, and report on patches across large IT infrastructures efficiently.

Explore our Best patch management software

Why is central patch management important?

There are two aspects to IT patch management that make it challenging in a medium to large enterprise or MSP:

• Ability to identify the assets that are impacted by a patch and deploy the patch only to those assets once they have been successfully tested

• Ensuring that all affected assets are updated by auditing the environment for successful application of the patch

Centralized patch management enables an organization to use automation to enable testing and distribution of patches to the appropriate end-points and then to check end-points for missing patches, so each and every device on a network is properly maintained. Centralized patch management uses workflow, policies, and rules to manage the patch management process, involving the appropriate personnel for any required approvals to address failures and ensure the process is adequately completed.

By centralizing the process, the organization ensures that endpoints are being properly maintained and those patch management policies are applied as documented and scripted across the enterprise as soon as possible after they become available. Without central patch management, organizations may miss critical patches or be unsuccessful in deploying them completely.

While ad hoc methods of performing patch management may have been acceptable in the past, the size, complexity, and vulnerability of the digital environment now demand centralized patch management to be considered a requirement of a robust operations practice. According to the Ponemon Institute State of Vulnerability Response survey, approximately 60% of security breaches are the result of a known vulnerability that was not patched. The likelihood of missing critical patches is high with only a manual process

How to design a patch management plan?

A patch management plan outlines how patches and vulnerabilities will be documented, prioritized, tested, and deployed across systems. Each phase of the patch management process should be clearly defined and documented to ensure consistency and efficiency.

The plan should include turnaround times for testing and applying patches, as well as procedures for service restoration if a patch causes downtime, even after successful testing. It’s essential to use a patch management tool to automate this process, as manual handling becomes unmanageable in medium to large organizations.

Because some patches may be incompatible with certain systems, the plan must also include a formal exception policy and risk acceptance process. Approval workflows should be built around the criticality and risk level of the patch. For instance, low-impact patches might be auto-applied, while high-impact ones may require manual review and alignment with the organization’s change management process.

Before full deployment, the plan should be piloted in a limited environment using the centralized patch management tool. Each environment should be tested individually to ensure smooth implementation, with relevant teams involved in validating success and managing rollbacks if needed.

Lastly, the plan should include a continuous improvement process. Any failures during patching should be analyzed to identify weak points and refine the system and policies to prevent recurrence.

Additional read: SuperOps RMM and HaloPSA integration

Why do MSPs need automated patch management?

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) face the challenge of maintaining security and performance across multiple client environments. Automated patch management has become essential for MSPs to manage these responsibilities effectively and efficiently.

• Managed Service Providers (MSPs) oversee multiple clients with diverse IT environments, making manual patch management time-consuming and prone to errors.

• Automated patch management allows MSPs to efficiently deploy updates across all client systems, ensuring consistent security and compliance.

• Automation reduces the risk of missing critical patches, which helps prevent security breaches and minimizes downtime for clients.

• With automated tools, MSPs can schedule patches during off-peak hours, reducing disruption to client operations.

• Automated reporting features provide MSPs with detailed insights and documentation to demonstrate compliance and support audits.

• By streamlining patch management, MSPs can focus on higher-value services, improving client satisfaction, and business growth.

Additional read: Six mistakes that are killing your MSP

How to overcome common challenges in patch management?

Managing patches effectively is a complex task that many organizations struggle with due to various technical and operational challenges. Understanding these common obstacles and how to address them can help ensure a smoother, more secure patch management process.

1. Keeping up with the volume of patches: The sheer number of patches released by vendors can be overwhelming. To overcome this, organizations should prioritize patches based on risk and use automated tools to streamline detection and deployment.

2. Ensuring compatibility and stability: Some patches may cause conflicts or system instability. Testing patches in a controlled environment before deployment helps minimize these risks.

3. Managing diverse IT environments: Organizations often have a mix of operating systems, applications, and devices, making patching complex. Implementing centralized patch management solutions can provide better visibility and control.

4. Minimizing downtime during patch deployment: Applying patches can disrupt business operations. Scheduling updates during off-peak hours and using phased rollouts can reduce the impact.

5. Lack of visibility and reporting: Without proper tracking, it’s difficult to know which systems are patched. Using automated reporting tools helps maintain transparency and supports compliance efforts.

6. Limited resources and expertise: Smaller teams may struggle to keep pace with patch management demands. Outsourcing to managed service providers or investing in automation can alleviate resource constraints.

Additional read: How managed service providers can delight customers and improve retention

How to choose patch management software?

Choosing the right patch management software is a critical decision that can greatly impact your organization’s security and operational efficiency. To make an informed choice, it is important to evaluate several key factors that align with your specific needs and environment.

• Comprehensive compatibility: Ensure the software supports all operating systems, applications, and device types used within your IT environment to guarantee complete patch coverage.

• Automation capabilities: Look for automation features that handle patch discovery, testing, deployment, and reporting to reduce manual effort and minimize errors.

• Integration with existing tools: Verify that the software integrates smoothly with your current IT management and security tools to streamline workflows and centralize control.

• Reporting and compliance: Prioritize solutions offering detailed, customizable reporting and compliance features to track patch status and meet regulatory requirements.

• Scalability and usability: Consider whether the software can scale as your organization grows and assess its ease of use to ensure your team can manage it efficiently.

• Vendor reputation and support: Evaluate the vendor’s reliability, update frequency, customer support quality, and track record for ongoing maintenance and assistance.

• Cost and licensing: Compare pricing models and licensing options to find a solution that fits your budget without sacrificing essential features.

• Additional features: Look for advanced options like patch rollback, scheduling flexibility, and exception handling to tailor the patch management process to your operational needs.

SuperOps is a powerful and flexible patch management software designed for MSPs. With patch management software from SuperOps, you can automate patch approvals based on criticality, schedule deployments to minimize downtime, and remotely wake inactive devices to ensure no endpoint is left unpatched. 

It also offers granular control to override or defer patches when needed. If these features sound like a great fit for your IT operations, then patch management software from SuperOps is an excellent choice.

What are the best practices for patch management?

Following best practices for patch management can help organizations minimize vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of security breaches.

• Maintain a detailed and up-to-date inventory of all hardware and software assets to ensure no system is overlooked during patching.

• Prioritize patches based on the severity of vulnerabilities and the criticality of affected systems.

• Test patches in a controlled environment before deployment to prevent unexpected issues or downtime.

• Automate patch detection, deployment, and reporting wherever possible to reduce manual errors and save time.

• Schedule patch deployments during off-peak hours to minimize disruptions to business operations.

• Continuously monitor and verify patch installation across all devices to ensure compliance.

• Document all patch management activities clearly to support compliance and provide an audit trail.

• Train IT staff regularly on patch management policies and current security best practices.

• Regularly review and update patch management processes to adapt to evolving threats and technologies.

Ready to simplify your patch management and keep your clients’ systems secure? Discover how SuperOps Patch Management can streamline your IT operations. Get started for free today!