Is your Business Protected?
As cyber threats become an increasingly pressing issue, proper network security is more vital than ever to mitigate the risk of a data breach and maintain your customer’s confidence. Patch management has often been largely ignored as part of data security.
What is Patch Management?
A patch is simply a piece of code that improves a program already installed on your machine. Basically, a bandage for computer software. Once a bug is discovered in an already-released program, a patch is created to correct the issue without the need to re-create the program altogether.
Patches to apply to nearly every area of your infrastructure. From your desktop operating systems, server operating systems right through to Chrome, Firefox, Java and even your routers and office products. As you can see this can expose many of your systems if this is not managed.
At Internal IT, we take security seriously. By partnering with Internal IT, you will get Patch Management by default for any workstation/server on the network.
Importance of Patch Management
Some of the vital benefits of proper patch management include:
Security
The most critical and obvious benefit of patch management is heightened network security. Patches are often created after a company has experienced a data breach to ensure other businesses’ data remains safe, and applying a patch as quickly as possible lessens the risk of your business becoming affected. By securing your network before hackers exploit a program’s security vulnerabilities, you can avoid the data theft, legal issues and lasting reputation damage that often follows a security breach.
Productivity
Have you or your employees ever had to stop work because of a computer crash or network error? This is often due to bugs in your system, and it’s more than just a minor inconvenience — it’s a waste of time and labour hours. A patched system is an efficient one, as it helps you get the most out of your programs and reduce downtime. A single patch can lead to a considerable boost in network productivity, and an entire patch management system can transform the efficiency of your entire company.
Compliance
With the increase in security breaches has come increased regulations that require companies in many industries to follow security best practices. Government institutions, healthcare services and financial sectors are among the most heavily regulated, but other industries are rapidly creating their own security compliance rules and guidelines. Failure to comply could potentially result in legal penalties for your business. Patch management ensures you stay within compliance of these standards.
Remote protection
More businesses than ever are encouraging at least part-time remote employment — in fact, around 70 percent of workers around the world work remote at least one day a week. So how do you protect the data stored at your employee’s homes or on mobile devices? Patch management programs can be implemented as part of a remote workforce support solution to protect all of your company’s devices, no matter where in the world they’re located.
Innovation
Technology is moving quickly. It seems that just as soon as developers introduce one feature, a newer, better one comes along to take its place. But patches — which usually contain new features and functionality — allow you to keep up with the latest technological innovations and improve your services without the need to buy entirely new software.