It’s no surprise that cybersecurity has rocketed up many companies’ list of priorities. The number of UK businesses who fell victim to a cyberattack has majorly increased, especially in the last year. And it’s not as if the bigger the business, the safer you are; phishing attacks worked 38% of the time in large businesses compared to 29% in SMEs.

The reason for the high number of cyberattacks? Our technology makes it too easy. If cybersecurity is at the top of your agenda, so should patch management. Every piece of current software and technology is constantly releasing new patches that add new features and bolster security. But if you aren’t staying on top of them, you are just leaving yourself open to exploitation. So how can patch management ensure you and your tech stay as safe as possible?

Why you need patch management

The most obvious reason for patch management is to keep your security up to date. Bad-faith actors will use whatever holes they can find to work their way into your system. It’s also why we would never recommend you use unsupported services or operating systems. Any breach will likely cost you a lot of money and a lot more reputation.

Beyond that, staying on top of your patches keeps your whole team more productive. As well as fixing any existing security issues, updates can make software more efficient, meaning it runs faster and crashes less. Your staff won’t have to worry about any of that slowing them down. How often has your computer frozen and sent you into a mad rage? We know it’s happened more than enough to us!

Due to the significant threat, it’s also often a requirement to stay safe. Depending on your industry, staying up to date means staying compliant. Noncompliance is a rocky road to penalties and lost business. If you have personal details for clients and they end up being compromised, you put them in danger and your business in hot water.

How to implement

We make it sound like a long process, but it doesn’t have to be. It might require more work at the start as you lay out a patch management policy, but then you can simply carry out regular scans to check for any vulnerabilities and new patches. Done right, you can push updates out to multiple devices at once, saving any need to go to individual devices.

If you want to be more thorough – which we always recommend for something as important as cybersecurity – you need to check the updates in a testing environment before pushing out. This ensures it won’t negatively affect you in any way. And when it’s all done, a final report detailing the process would help for any auditing in the future.

What’s important is you understand why you’re doing it. Make sure all the management and staff understand how it’s of benefit – potentially include it in any cybersecurity training you put your team through. Patch management can be a big undertaking for a team that’s already stretched thin, but there are companies and software available that can handle this vital task for you.

We offer a patch management service so you can be safe in the knowledge that your devices are as safe and secure as possible. This way, your IT team can focus on doing what they do best, and you don’t have to worry about vulnerabilities in your software. Protect your business today with Nisyst Cyber Security. For more information, get in touch on 01204 706000.