Challenges in Managing Software Updates
Patching and maintaining managed resources is a reality of networked, distributed computing. An effective software update management process is necessary to maintain operational efficiency, overcome security issues, and maintain the stability of the network infrastructure. However, because of the changing nature of technology and the continual appearance of new security threats, the task of effective software update management can be challenging.
The main challenge in managing security updates is determining which of the many available software updates are appropriate to the requirements and potential security problems of your managed resources and finding the balance that is appropriate for your enterprise.
Some updates are critical and require immediate action to protect your systems, data, or network infrastructure. For example, the updates that address risks from newly discovered exploitations, viruses, and worms are considered critical updates.
Some updates can be useful, can increase performance or stability, or can make the end-user experience better, but they might not be considered critical to the safety of your enterprise.
Some updates might not be necessary to your enterprise and you can ignore them.
Some updates could create problems (for example, break other line-of-business applications) for your enterprise if you used them.
To keep your enterprise secure, you must establish processes for:
Receiving information about the latest software updates and vulnerabilities.
Auditing your enterprise for applicable software updates.
Assessing and authorizing available software updates.
Deploying authorized software updates within your enterprise in a timely, accurate, and efficient manner.
Tracking update deployment across your enterprise.
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