Patch management Criteria Features (coming soon)

The patch management software market is seeing more demand now than ever before. The global patch management software market is expected to rise at a considerable rate between 2020 and 2026. As companies step up to prepare business operations for the VUCA world, cybersecurity remains one of the prime areas of focus. Patch management is a critical process, and the first step to secure employee and customer data. But, as companies have shifted to work-from-anywhere mode, purchasing the right tools that require less maintenance and improve end-user experience has become the top priority. Before evaluating different patch management tools available in the market, understand the current scenario of your organizations’ patching environment. 

Set goals and identify the patching requirements

Patch management is a phased approach the IT departments must diligently follow to eradicate the vulnerabilities in the existing system. Before researching the market for the right tool, identify where your enterprise stands in the patching spectrum, and set appropriate goals. The patching requirements vary depending on the size of the organization, infrastructure design, and the nature of your IT support. Mid-market and enterprises usually deploy an automated patch management solution. A few companies outsource their IT support. In this case, the patch management task is typically a part of the outsourced solution. Here are a couple of questions you can ask yourself before you start the patching process:

On-premise or Cloud-native?

With the number of options available, IT managers usually have a hard time choosing the right tool. At the outset, if you are considering automated patch management, there are two types of software in the market:

1. On-premise patch management

2. Cloud-native patch management

Parameters
On-premise
Cloud-native
Best for

Internal deployments & localized IT environment

Hybrid IT environment
Disadvantages

Hidden costs, high support & maintenance costs, third-party support requirements, Inability to secure remote systems, the prolonged implementation process

No hidden costs, low to no maintenance costs, self-support capabilities, secure remote systems, cloud servers, and multi-OS IT environment from a single dashboard, easy & quick implementation 
The cost factor

Expensive 

Inexpensive

The 4 most significant factors to look for in your patch management tool

1. Operating system and application-agnostic

The IT landscape is gradually evolving and taking different shapes every other year. Enterprises are adding new applications and systems to improve organization-wide end-user experience. With remote working, the employee expectations of on-demand IT support from the IT teams have increased. This only leaves the IT team by finding state-of-the-art technology to enhance digital operations in the organization. The system, device, and application requirements vary between departments. Your employees might work on all devices from Windows, Linux, Mac, etc. Hence, your patch management software should support a multi-OS and application IT environment on the one hand. On the other, the tool must be scalable as the IT environment grows.

2. Ease-of-use

Yes! Keeping your company away from security breaches and IT vulnerabilities is a challenging task. But, your patching process can be a walk in the park. With many SaaS-based platforms and applications emerging in the market, IT now is simpler and more straightforward than it was a decade ago. With stringent IT budgets and fewer resources, IT managers should look for a patch management tool that is easy to use and requires no manual effort. Cloud-native patch management solutions do just that.

3. Seamless end-to-end patch management

It would be best if you had a tool that does more with less, which manages the end-to-end process of any IT tasks with complete visibility. This deflects the IT team from focusing on exhaustive tasks and helps them deal with better IT objectives. The patching process starts with comprehensive scanning of the existing network, identifying gaps, deploying patches, testing the effect, and making the patches live. A critical step is the detailed reporting of the patches. Choose a tool that manages the end-to-end process and requires no help from your IT team.

4. Reduced TCO

A lot of legacy and on-premise tools do not mention associated costs upfront. Managing a legacy tool incurs ongoing maintenance costs and support from third-party vendors. The managers end up paying more for fewer features. This increases the total cost of ownership. Optimize the usage of IT budgets by choosing a tool that does more with less and adds business value to the organization.

Features of a good patch management software  
 

Multi-OS support
Supports a heterogeneous IT environment with multiple OS, applications, and devices

Automated patch deployment & compliance
Frees IT team from the exhaustive patching task with powerful automation capabilities 

Effortless configuration management
Easily customizes the patch deployment process and upgrades as per your business needs

Asset discovery & lifecycle management
Effortlessly links IT assets to system details, contract, and finance information

Cloud-native
Makes the best use of your IT budget and enhances the security of the organization's network from anywhere

A sneak peek into Freshservice’s automated patch management powered by Automox

The automated patch management of Freshservice is powered by Automax, a cloud-based cybersecurity and patch management software. Freshservice’s patch management module handles all the patching steps from scanning the tools to enforcing policy and ensuring compliance.

Maintaining Inventory

  • Helps in effortless discovery and management of assets
  • Eliminates the need for multiple discovery tools

Offering end-to-end visibility of asset health

Displays statuses on patch connection, device and pending updates on a single dashboard

Testing and deploying patches

Aids perform different actions such as restarting & scanning devices, deploying pending patches, applying defined device policies, etc. from a single window.