Patch Perfect:

A Practical Guide
to IT Resilience
 A Step-by-Step Guide
Patch Management
Best Practices:
Patch management is essential for a secure, stable, and compliant IT environment, but
managing it effectively is often easier said than done. IT teams face overwhelming workloads,
complex patching schedules, and constant pressure to prevent security breaches and downtime.
Without a structured approach, patching can feel like an endless cycle of catching up, exposing
organizations to security threats, compliance issues, and costly disruptions.

This guide offers more than just a checklist. It’s a proven roadmap that simplifies patch
management across workstations, servers, and third-party applications. Backed by insights from
industry best practices and field-tested methods, each step is designed to streamline patching,
reduce workload, and help your IT team stay ahead of potential vulnerabilities.

Dive in, and in just eight steps, you’ll uncover practical strategies that can turn patching from a
chore into a game-changing asset for your IT operations.
 •
Why Patch
Security: Patches close security gaps discovered by vendors and developers. Without
timely patching, these vulnerabilities are open doors for attackers to exploit, leading to

Management Matters
data breaches and potential financial and reputational damage.

• Stability and Performance: Many patches fix bugs or enhance features, improving the
overall performance of applications. Consistent patching helps prevent system crashes
and maintains smooth operations, directly impacting productivity.

Before we dive into the practical steps, let’s look • Compliance: Industries like healthcare, finance, and government mandate regular
updates to comply with regulatory standards (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR). Failing to patch can
at why patch management is crucial for any IT
lead to compliance violations and hefty fines.
environment. Cyber threats are on the rise, and
many data breaches occur due to unpatched • Business Continuity: Unpatched vulnerabilities can cause unexpected outages, leading
vulnerabilities. Just look at cases like the Equifax to operational downtime and potential loss of revenue. A solid patch management
strategy minimizes these risks.
breach in 2017, where a missed patch exposed
sensitive information for millions of users. These
real-world examples underscore why timely
patching isn’t just ideal; it’s essential.

In the next section, we’ll get into how

automation can help make patching
more manageable and consistent.
Common Techniques
Now that we understand the importance of patch management, it’s time • Create a Test Environment: A test environment should mirror your
to explore the core techniques that can streamline this process. Patching production network and include all operating systems in use. This helps
can be tedious and time-consuming, so knowing your automation, testing ensure patches work as expected across different devices and setups.
environments, and scheduling options is critical. Ready to find out how
automation can free up time for your team while keeping systems secure? • Focus on Critical Updates First: Prioritize testing for critical patches that
— Let’s dive in. address high-severity vulnerabilities, especially on business-critical and
internet-facing systems. Non-critical updates can follow according to a
Automate Patch Management regular schedule.

The average time to patch a critical vulnerability is around 16 days, and many Testing in a controlled setting helps prevent disruptions in production and
organizations face delays due to manual patching. Automation is essential minimizes the risk of patch-related issues affecting end users. Let’s explore how
for maintaining timely patching and reducing the workload on IT teams. An to keep patching efficient with a twice-weekly schedule.
automated patching system can handle updates without manual oversight,
ensuring regular compliance. Schedule Patching Twice a Week
Benefits of Automated Patch Management Patch frequency is crucial for maintaining security. While monthly or quarterly
cycles are common, a twice-weekly patching schedule (e.g., Mondays and
• Consistency: Automation enforces routine patching cycles, reducing Thursdays) offers greater protection, especially as vendors frequently release
human error and ensuring critical patches are not missed. new patches for popular applications. Next, we’ll look at a structured approach
to patch management that will take this strategy even further.
• Efficiency: Automated tools can check for new patches, test, and install
them while ensuring minimal disruption to user productivity. Benefits of Twice-Weekly Patching

• Compliance: Automating patch schedules improves patch compliance, • Improved Security: Frequent patching reduces the window of exposure for
which is crucial for regulatory standards and audit readiness. vulnerabilities.

• Consistent Protection: Twice-weekly schedules keep systems up-to-date

Testing Patches in a Controlled Environment with the latest security updates, especially for applications like browsers
that are frequently targeted by attackers.
Testing patches before deployment is critical to prevent compatibility issues
and maintain system stability. Certain patches may conflict with applications or • Reduced Impact on User Productivity: By automating patching twice a
cause other unforeseen issues, so testing updates in a controlled environment is week, IT teams ensure a regular rhythm without overwhelming systems or
always recommended. causing bottlenecks.
Common Best Practices (steps 1-2)

Effective patch management is more than just scheduling updates and

automating tasks; it’s about building a solid foundation that keeps your IT Step 2: Design Your Patch Management Strategy
environment secure, compliant, and running smoothly. With a proactive
strategy, you can go beyond just “keeping up” with patches to getting ahead A well-defined strategy tailored to different device types and applications is
of vulnerabilities and minimizing disruptions. While scheduling and automation essential for effective patch management.
are key components, the following eight steps take patch management further
by providing a strategic approach covering everything from prioritizing critical 1. Separate Processes for Workstations, Servers, and Applications:
updates to ensuring compliance and minimizing user impact. Let’s dive in and
see how these best practices can transform your patch management process. • Workstations: Workstations are central to user productivity, so schedule
updates in phases to minimize disruptions and address potential issues
early.

Step 1: Assess Your Patch Management Goals

• Servers: Schedule server updates during off-peak hours or
and Environment maintenance windows to ensure availability for critical applications.

Before implementing patching configurations, it’s crucial to evaluate your • Microsoft Office and Third-Party Applications: Non-Microsoft
organization’s needs and set clear patching goals: applications like Adobe Acrobat or Google Chrome are common
targets for attackers. Include these in your patching strategy, ensuring
• Identify Critical Assets: Identify essential devices, servers, and both Office and third-party applications are secure.
applications that are critical to daily operations. This allows you to prioritize
updates for assets that, if compromised, would have a high business 2. Choose Appropriate Tools: Tools like Windows Update for Business
impact. (WUfB), WSUS, and SCCM automate patching for Windows OS and select
applications, but they don’t cover everything. This is where third-party
• Define Security and Compliance Standards: Review your industry’s tools like Patch My PC come into play, taking on the heavy lifting for non-
regulatory and security requirements to establish patching policies that Microsoft applications and making it easier for IT teams to keep systems
align with both security and compliance needs. fully patched without the extra hassle.

• Set Patch Prioritization Criteria: Not every patch is equally critical. 3. Develop a Consistent Update Cycle: With a twice-weekly schedule, ensure
Establish prioritization criteria based on threat level and asset importance, critical updates are applied promptly, reducing the risk of missed patches
so high-severity patches on critical systems are addressed promptly. and minimizing user disruptions.
Common Best Practices (step 3)

Step 3: Implement Update Rings with Windows Update for Business (WUfB) in Intune

Just like we use update rings in Patch My PC Cloud, using rings for WUfB is a smart move. Update rings let you roll out patches in stages across workstations, reducing
risk by identifying any issues in smaller test groups before deploying broadly.

1. Create Update Rings: 3. Configure Deadlines and Deferrals: Deadlines specify a final date by
which updates must be installed, even if users delay them. Deferrals delay
• Pilot Ring: This ring includes a small group of non-critical devices that updates to allow IT to observe effects in each ring and ensure stability
receive updates first, enabling early detection of issues. before broader deployment.

• Early Adopters: This group includes more devices, allowing for additional 4. Encourage Active Hours Configuration: Allow users to set active hours,
feedback on update stability. reducing unexpected reboots during peak productivity. Default active hours
can be set across the organization, but user adjustments personalize the
• Broad Deployment: The final ring includes the remaining devices, where experience.
updates should be stable and tested by this stage.
5. Manage Power Settings: Configuring power settings prevents devices from
sleeping or shutting down during update installations, ensuring patches
apply successfully. Refer to Step 6 for detailed guidance on configuring
power settings, such as preventing sleep and hibernation modes during
updates

2. Incorporate Reboot Scheduling: Once updates are staged by ring, it’s 6. Proactive Notifications: Notify users about scheduled updates and
essential to time reboots effectively. Weekly reboots can be scheduled potential reboots well in advance. Intune allows configuring notifications
over weekends, prioritizing Sunday (46%) and Saturday (27%) for minimal that inform users when updates are scheduled, giving them time to save
disruption. For daily updates, evening hours (57%) ensure devices restart work and prepare.
without interrupting peak work hours. Automated reboots help maintain
compliance and complete updates without relying on user action.
Common Best Practices (steps 4-5)

Step 4: Use Windows Server Update Services Step 5: Establish a Patch Testing
(WSUS) for Granular Control and Approval Process
WSUS provides centralized control for approving and distributing patches, Testing patches before deployment is essential to catch potential compatibility
making it ideal for on-premises or hybrid environments. Even with Microsoft’s issues and maintain system stability.
plans to deprecate WSUS, it remains a valuable tool for environments that
1. Set Up Testing Environments:
rely on centralized patch management, especially for managing internal
Windows updates. • Workstations: Use a small group of pilot devices to test updates,
ensuring minimal impact if issues arise.
• Centralized Patch Management: WSUS allows you to view, approve, and
prioritize patches, controlling critical systems and delaying less essential • Servers: A separate environment that mimics production can reveal
changes. potential impacts on system load or software compatibility before full
deployment. ensuring minimal impact if issues arise.
• Patch Testing and Approval: Test patches in a controlled environment
before deployment to minimize risks. 2. Approval Workflows: High-impact patches may require additional review
before deployment. Define workflows for testing, approving, and expediting
• Patch Approval Policies: Set automated policies for high-priority patches critical patches while allowing time for careful review of less urgent
while manually reviewing others for greater control. updates.

If you’re looking to get started or need tips on optimizing WSUS, check out this 3. Use Phased Rollouts in SCCM: SCCM’s phased rollout feature allows
comprehensive WSUS configuration and clean-up guide to make the most of gradual deployment to servers, reducing the risk of widespread issues by
your setup. applying updates progressively.

We take a similar approach at Patch My PC for your third-party updates, testing

each update in our labs across multiple OS environments and running each
installer through VirusTotal’s 70+ antivirus engines for added security. You can
find more details on our testing process in our FAQ.
Common Best Practices (steps 6-8)

Step 6: Power Management for Workstations

Effective power management ensures workstations stay online for scheduled 2. Define Maintenance Windows: Maintenance windows in SCCM specify
updates, especially in remote and hybrid setups. when patches can be applied, ensuring updates don’t disrupt core
business hours.
• Prevent Sleep and Hibernation: Configure power settings in Intune to
keep devices online during scheduled updates and ensure they receive 3. Plan Rollback Options: For critical patches, SCCM’s rollback feature
patches. enables IT to revert updates in case of issues, ensuring quick recovery.

• Run Updates During Off-Peak Hours: Scheduling updates outside peak

hours minimizes disruptions, which is particularly valuable for remote
environments.
Step 8: Automate Compliance Monitoring
and Reporting
• Monitor Battery Health with Advanced Insights: In remote scenarios,
where devices may rely on battery power, it’s essential to ensure that Automated monitoring ensures that all systems are consistently updated,
battery performance remains strong. With Patch My PC’s Advanced simplifying compliance tracking and reporting.
Insights, you can monitor battery health to confirm devices are performing
optimally, so you’re not left vulnerable by devices that can’t stay powered • Use Dashboards for Real-Time Tracking: Dashboards in tools like Patch
through critical updates. Learn more about monitoring battery health in My PC and SCCM display patch status, making it easy to spot non-
the Advanced Insights documentation. compliant devices.

• Enable Non-Compliance Alerts: Set automated alerts for devices that

miss critical patches, enabling IT to address vulnerabilities quickly.
Step 7: Organize Server Patch Management
with SCCM • Generate Reports for Audits: Document patch history, testing outcomes,
and compliance records to streamline audit processes and demonstrate
Servers are critical assets, requiring careful handling to avoid unplanned security efforts.
downtime.

1. Group Servers by Role and Criticality: Categorize servers by function, Experience intuitive reporting with rich, high-quality visuals
ensuring critical production servers receive updates more frequently than that can be interpreted easily with Advanced Insights.
test or backup servers.
Additional Best
Incorporating these best practices can improve the overall efficiency and
Practices for Effective reliability of patch management efforts:

Patch Management • Prioritize Critical Updates: To minimize security threats, address high-risk
vulnerabilities first. Non-essential updates can be scheduled for later.

• Automate Where Possible: Automation reduces manual effort and enhances

consistency in patching. Use automated compliance tracking and notifications and
update schedules wherever feasible.

• Establish a Routine: Consistent weekly (preferable, two patch deployments scheduled

a week) or monthly patch schedules help set expectations, making updates
predictable for end users.

• Leverage Update Rings, WUfB, and WSUS for Phased Rollouts: Phased rollouts and
test environments allow IT to manage risk and ensure patches are stable before
broad deployment.

• Communicate with Users: Inform users of scheduled patches, especially if reboots

are required. Clear communication about the benefits of patching can reduce
resistance and encourage compliance.

• Maintain Detailed Documentation: Documenting your patch management

processes, test steps, and configurations is essential for audits, compliance, and
continuity planning.
 Building a Resilient
Conclusion:
Patch Management Strategy
Effective patch management is crucial to protecting against vulnerabilities, ensuring compliance,
and maintaining system stability. By following these best practices and implementing a
structured approach, organizations can safeguard their IT environments and minimize the
impact of patching on daily operations.

For a third-party patch management solution that automates, schedules, and alleviates many
IT team issues, consider Patch My PC. A free demo will reveal affordable pricing and endless
opportunities.