Patch Management is designed to provide an organization with control over the software updates it deploys. With so many worms and viruses that continually exploit vulnerabilities in Microsoft Products, it is important to familiarize yourself and your employees with a simple process of keeping up-to-date with patch management. Every month new security updates are released and Microsoft users are urged to use them as soon as possible to avoid any complications.

While patch management can be done manually, there are still various software options available that simplify the process by making it more manageable and eliminate time-consuming tasks. In order for your Corporate Security Policy to be optimal, good Patch Management software is essential to maintain a system of checks and balances.

Patch Management products scan the computers in your network environment and determine which patches or changes are needed. This software ensures that the correct version is deployed to each specific patch that is needed.

Patch Management software is constantly changing as most vendors update their products within 2 days of a Microsoft patch release. Different features vary by product. For instance, scanning features differ depending on the product. Furthermore, deployment features vary by product. Some deploy patches immediately, while others allow you to schedule both scans and deployment. Different products can be customized to best fit your specific needs.

An organization that is planning to patch its network environment should make sure that it has the following:

• An effective project management process.
• Tools and technologies that are most appropriate for successful patch management.
• People who understand their roles and responsibilities in the processes.

Microsoft recommends a four-phase approach to managing software updates. The four phases are:

1. Assess: assessment of what you have in your production environment - security threats or vulnerabilities and preparation to respond to new software updates.
2. Identify: a phase to discover new software updates in a reliable way and determine whether or not they are relevant to you as well as whether an update is for a normal or emergency change.
3. Evaluate and Plan: Decide whether to deploy the software update, what is needed to do so and test the software update in a similar environment to confirm that it is suitable for your business.
4. Deploy: Successfully implement the approved software update into your production environment.

Patch Management is a useful process that businesses need to implement in order to ensure they benefit rather than suffer from the constantly changing technologies that are available in our computer based business world. Luckily there is a good supply of

Patch Management software available to help make the overall process more manageable and ensure your business continues to run smoothly.