Patch Management Software

Protecting IT assets from cyber attacks is one of the biggest challenges modern organizations deal with in today's internet-dominated business environments.  It takes only a few hours for cybercriminals to exploit unpatched software applications and steal sensitive data. On the other hand, organizations also face tremendous pressure to patch their systems without halting the core business applications. Ensuring continuous availability of IT resources, workstations, connected devices, servers, and third-party business applications requires organizations to create an automated system for applying security patches. A patch management system can help organizations in managing, documenting, and streamlining the patch management process and IT networks security risk management strategy. A patch management software helps companies identify and fix system vulnerabilities, deploy patches, and update existing software applications with minimum downtime. 

However, the patch management process is a complicated task, and without suitable patch management software, your organization may not be able to deploy a proactive patch management strategy. Therefore, this buyer's guide intends to assist businesses in finding the best patch management software for their organizations. This buyer's guide for patch management software has taken account of every aspect related to the patch management process, technology, strategy, and policy to help businesses in making a prudent investment in the best patch management software for their organizations. 

Patch Management is the process of deploying software updates and security fixes after reviewing, testing, and validating the patches. Patch Management patches and updates operating systems such as Windows, iOS, and Linux or third-party software applications such as Chrome, Adobe, etc. It also involves monitoring network operating systems and applications for vulnerabilities and discovering missing patches. IT administrators decide the patch management configuration policies for servers and connected devices. Patch management can be done manually, semi-automatically, and automatically.

Cybercriminals add all unpatched vulnerabilities on the internet to their portfolio and misuse them when they find the same on an organization's systems. A reasonable patch management process is critical to counter cyber adversaries, threat varieties, and vulnerabilities. Vulnerability is directly proportional to the number of missing patches. Vulnerabilities occupy a larger share in breaches, and scanning and patching the vulnerabilities is important to keep your IT infrastructure safe from cyber attacks.

HotFixes

The hotfix is a small Patch that addresses a security issue, flaw, or code error in software which, if kept unattended, paves the way for cyber attacks.  The hotfix can be a small update, a new feature as a response to the security advisory. 

Roll-Ups

Roll-ups are a combination of multiple small patches into one package. When multiple security issues and vulnerabilities are detected in a short period, rather than separately addressing them, vendors combine them all into one package that can be delivered and installed easily by IT administrators. However, one disadvantage of the process is that if any one of the patches in the bundle is not working properly, it is difficult to identify the patch that is causing issues. 

Service Packs

Service packs are combinations of multiple patches into one package issued at regular intervals. Service packs are thoroughly evaluated, tested, validated patches that are more secure and stable than the roll-ups. 

Point Release:

Point releases are cleanup versions of a software application released after resolving multiple bug fixes. 

Unofficial Patches:

Unofficial patches are patches created by third-party developers, user-communities, or software enthusiasts for eliminating bugs, or security flaws in software. Unofficial patches don’t involve the original developers but alleviate a software bug before official patches are released. 

The process of patch management typically involves the below:

• Notification: A notification regarding the need, types, and urgency of patches and updates is sent to IT administrators from software vendors and third-party application providers. 
• Assessment: Based on the types of security threats and criticalities of patches, you need to decide which systems need to be patched, in what order, and when?
• Deciding Tools: Patch installation can be done manually or with tools. Automated tools for patch management can expedite the process of patching and bring more accuracy and efficiency. 
• Testing: Applying patches only to a sample/representative set of tools ensures stability before the patch is applied to the production environment. This is done to minimize any large-scale negative outcomes in case the patches bring unexpected adverse results. 
• Deployment: After testing, the patches are ready for rollout to all selected assets and embedded network equipment.
• Validation and Reporting: Once all patches are installed on target systems, IT admins should make sure that everything is working properly, all software applications are functional, the updates are installed without any device getting omitted, and a summary report of the patch should be generated for future reference. 

• Security Challenges: Unpatched vulnerabilities can cause security challenges. Even if you have security features installed on your office workstations, remote workers' systems may be a matter of concern. With BYOD (bring your own device) work culture gaining traction, the risks have amplified. Without patch management tools, organizations may struggle to patch and monitor workstations, remote systems, and BYOD systems.
• Productivity Challenges: Without efficient patch management tools, deploying patches becomes a tedious and time-consuming task. Delays in applying patches can cause bug-generated system crashes, downtimes, and slow responding servers. This can bring employee productivity down.
• Remote Support: Organizations must focus on remote workers’ productivity without exposing their devices to new cyber risks. Without patch management tools, companies cannot carry out patch management procedures for remote employees. Installing patches on remote workstations is critical to maintaining organizational data integrity. 
• Updating: Organizations cannot keep working with old versions of software applications. Every now and then, they need to update the business applications when new updates are released by vendors. However, with the massive amount of workstations and connected devices that modern organizations have, updating all systems manually without patch management tools is not possible. 
• Unidentified Breaches: The confirmed data breaches may allow companies to take countermeasures such as replacing compromised software applications, changing passwords, installing new patches, and others. However, when there is an unidentified breach or potential data breach but not a confirmed one, companies may decide to close their eyes and not do anything. This is to save the costs involved in taking countermeasures. A non-incident security breach that doesn’t cause immediate alarm may prove more damaging in the long run as attackers will continuously exploit the vulnerabilities without getting detected. 
• Compliance Issues: Unpatched software updates may temporarily hamper companies from being compliant with cyberspace regulations. 

A patch management software is an application that manages the IT systems and assets that are susceptible to cyber exploits and conducts patching to correct code errors and eliminate bugs and vulnerabilities. The cloud-based patch management software is SaaS (Software as a Service) based tool that allows users to patch and update their systems from anywhere using internet-enabled patch management services. Another popular patch management software type is the open source patch management software. The open-source patch management software allows users to customize the software to suit their needs. IT admins can add or delete features by changing the source code. 

Almost all industries and sectors in the world face cyber attacks in the form of crimeware, malware, cyber-espionage, denial of service, privilege misuse, Point of Sale attacks, hacking attempts through applications, and more. 

Some of the major industries and the type security incidents they face due to unpatched systems:  

Financial and Insurance Sector: The nature of data collected by this sector and the amount of money involved makes this sector a favorite of cyber attackers. This sector is also a big victim of cyber espionage. With banks and insurance companies rolling out the web and mobile applications for their customers, stealing sensitive information and credentials using patch loopholes is the biggest threat for the industry. 

Education Industry: Phishing dominates the attacks in this industry. As most users are students, faculties, or admins with poor IT knowledge, they are more susceptible to cyberattacks initiated with credential theft, phishing, and ransomware. 

Hotels and Retail Industry: Characterized by POS-related attacks, the retail and hotel industries are the main targets of payment card data theft. 

Entertainment and Gaming Industry: Denial of service attacks render this industry vulnerable to cyber attacks. Many gamers report their gaming collectibles getting stolen in cyber attacks. 

Healthcare: Privilege misuse (someone with access rights stealing data), human errors, espionage, and ransomware attacks take the top spots among the cyber-attacks in this industry. Stealing attempts for crucial medical research data, vaccine information, drug compositions, etc., are common in this industry. In 2020 alone, the healthcare industry topped the chart in terms of costly data breaches. The global average of a single data breach in the healthcare industry stood at a whopping 7.13 million US dollars. 

Manufacturing: Misconfiguration, privilege misuse, backdoor hacking, malware-based stealing, etc., are basic cybercrime issues in the manufacturing industry. Hardware malfunctioning and the use of unapproved hardware also cause software breaches. 

Public Administration and Government Agencies: Most of the data that government entities collect comes from third parties. Callous attitude, uninformed handling, and lack of technical expertise in many public administration departments make them an easy target for attackers. Finding policies before they are made public, getting access to contractual documents, etc., are the motives for which public administration departments' systems are hacked. 

The above list of industries is certainly not exhaustive. There may not be any industry that is immune to cyber-attacks. From Transportation to Warehousing, Oil to IT, Real Estate to Capital Markets, Cloud Services to Utilities, all industries face costly cyber attacks almost every day. The global average cost of a single data breach in the year 2020 was 3.86 million dollars. Considering the above stats, investment in patch management technology and cybersecurity applications is no more an optional thing for industries. A patch management software can save companies from multiple types of cyberattacks. Let us discuss some benefits of patch management tools. 

Below are some of the top benefits of a patch management system:

• Improves security of all IT assets, endpoints, third party applications, networks, servers, and connected devices
• Eases the processes of patch management 
• Ensures that with proper updates, added features, and improved functionality, software applications run at full capacity and unleash greater productivity.
• Relieves IT personnel from the time-consuming manual patching process
• Automated patching process to ensure real-time patching without delays
• Minimizes patch installation time 
• Reduces chances of rollout errors or missed patches by eliminating the manual process
• Prevents emergency breakdowns with automated preventive maintenance scheduling 
• Emails and automated alerts are sent to IT admins and concerned departments for required patches which helps in accurately planning the patching process.
• Increases safety of sensitive organizational information 

• All Types of Operating platforms Supported: Patch management software can deploy patches on all types of OSes organizations use. It can handle patches for Windows, Linus, iOS, etc. 
• Third-Party Applications Patch Support: Patch management tools come with robust support for monitoring, scanning, and managing patches for third-party applications such as Adobe, CRMs, WinRAR, etc. 
• Vulnerability Management: Manages, notifies and deploys patches for potential threats, exploitable activities, and critical risks.
• Data Protection: This feature helps IT admins to take backup of data before any patch deployment. 
• Remote Patching: The patch management system can undertake remote patching of your endpoints, workstations, and employee devices. 
• Automation: The core elements of patch management such as scanning, threat assessment, patch deployment, and reporting are automated. 
• Customization: Patch management software allows organizations to set their patch management policies, controls, and permissions to address their unique business needs. 
• Compliance Reporting: Patch management tools monitor all systems to ensure 100% patch compliance. It generates customized reports detailing patch deployment history, current update status, etc., across devices. 
• Patch decisions: AI-based patPatch Decisions: AI-based patch management tools can decide whether to roll out patches or not. With intelligent decision-making modules, these tools can help IT admins in rejecting, approving, or revoking patch deployments. 
• Test Groups: Create a test environment and deploy patches to small groups before rolling out to production environments. 
• Patch Environments: It creates the right environment with accurate system configurations for successful patch deployments. 
• Custom Dashboards: View your patch deployment history, latest updates, upcoming patch dates, etc., on a customized dashboard. 

Automate Patch Management

Successful patch management requires efficient and accurate rolling out of the security updates. Manual patches are prone to errors, and even if a single code is not fixed properly, it may provide easy access to cybercriminals for exploitation. Automation solves this issue by seamless patch distribution and regular scans without manual intervention. 

Critical Update First

Prioritized patch management systems pave the way for immunity from constant security breaches. It is better to start with the most critical updates first and focus on vulnerabilities that are actually exploitable.  One should start with operating systems, high-end third-party applications, and business applications for optimal risk mitigation. With the automation of critical updates, IT administrators can further reduce the impact of vulnerabilities. 

Continuous Network Monitoring 

Not only servers, resource applications, integrated applications, and remote workstations, too, are favorites of hackers and are constantly under attack. Continuous monitoring in real-time for finding threats is the best practice. 

Server Assessment

Infected servers can spread viruses to the whole system. Standardizing the patch process and assessing servers for update requirements is critical to reducing server downtime. 

Use the latest versions of OS.

Without the latest versions of operating systems, organizations cannot ensure complete patch cover, security fixation, and support from OS vendors. Using crack versions can create more issues and amplify the threat posed by vulnerable spots. Always deploy the latest versions of operating software. 

Test Patches before Deployment

Evaluating patches before large-scale distribution and deployment of patches ensures more stability. In case any patch causes code errors, only a few systems get affected. 

Take Backup before Deployment

New patches and updates may sometimes cause functional issues, and may create malfunctioning of a few other applications. It is prudent to take backup of critical software before deployment. In case the new patch doesn’t get properly installed or causes issues, you can restore the previous version with backup files. 

Document Patch summary

Patch deployment is never complete without proper documentation of the process. Keeping a complete record of security patches, installed dates, update summary, failed deployments, version changes, etc., is important for future patch deployment, IT compliance, and IT security audits. 

Organizations should consider the following elements about the patch management software before making an actual investment: 

• You should decide what type of patch system is required for your organization and whether you need free, basic, standard, professional, or enterprise-level patch management software to manage your needs.  
• Compare the patch management software vendors based on the features and services they provide. Check pricing plans in each category. Keep in mind the vendor background and any critical security incidents that have happened in the past. Ask questions such as How long has the vendor been in the market?
• Check what options are available for Training support,  integrations, reporting, etc. 
• The patch management system should be scalable with your growing asset base and IT infrastructure.
• How many unique patch requests can it process in a day/week/month/year?
• How secure is the software from a compliance point of view?
• How many IT assets, networks, servers, and equipment can it monitor?
• Is the software user-friendly and intuitive?
• Can it process all types of patches?
• Is the patch management software solution compatible with all devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile phones? 
• Are there any hidden costs, installation, and training charges? 
• Can it work smoothly with low bandwidth internet connectivity?
• Whether below functionalities are available?

Keeping the cost factor in mind before buying patch management software is critical for greater ROI on overall expenditure. You should carefully consider the extra costs such as implementation, training, maintenance, and hardware (if applied) in mind. The costs of patch management software also depend on a large number of factors such as:

• Features 
• Type of Deployment
• Number of IT admins/Technicians it allows
• Number of systems that it needs to manage
• Quality of service offered 
• The number of operating systems it supports
• Real-time reporting capabilities
• Backup capacities
• Speed of Deployment
• User support
• Security Features

These variations can significantly alter the costs and estimations of the software. 

For example, popular software solutions like Atera will cost you around $79 per month per technician for its basic plan and $149 for its power plan. Pulseway RMM will cost around $2.79  (per month per workstation). Automox comes for $3 per device per month for its basic plan. 

Apart from the per technician per month plans, a full-fledged software installation of software such as SolarWinds Patch Manager will cost you around $3750 one time. 

You can also get completely free patch management software solutions such as PDQ Deploy, Action1, etc. You may also choose free and open source patch management software such as Itarian. For other patch management software solutions such as  Syxsense Manage,  ManageEngine Desktop Central, Kaseya VSA, you need to contact the vendor. Get the updated and complete information from the GoodFirms patch management software product list.

Authenticity and reliability are the two most important criteria while searching for patch management tools. You are trusting the vendor with your entire IT infrastructure, network zones, and sensitive data. Considering the number of risks associated with patch deployments, any random software selection cannot work for your business.  Many software vendors claim to provide patch management services. However, you may not find it easy to select which software vendor and its services you may want to avail of. GoodFirms has researched, categorized, and listed the top patch management systems based on their exact features, reliability, and merits. It applies a stringent analysis policy, and currently, it has a whopping database of above 60k software services with 30K unbiased reviews of verified users. All patch management software that made it into the final list had gone through a series of checks that prove their worthiness. IT admins are advised to go through the list. to find the best patch management software that will suit their business needs.