Patch Management
Why does the small and medium business (SMB) need Patch Management?
Here is the good news – software these days automatically looks for those patches it needs to function. Here is the bad news – the software doesn’t care if it breaks other software or your system when it installs those patches! If you are going to keep your system up-to-date and compliant with all of the other software in your network, patch management solutions that are more robust than what comes out with the computer are essential.
As a business, you have to ensure that not only will the patch fix any outstanding hardware or software issues, but that it will not impact the viability of your other systems and resources. Good patch management will help you to eliminate these types of issues and become effective at ensuring your systems stay up to date on YOUR schedule.
What is Patch Management?
From wikipeida.com:
In computing, a patch is a small piece of software designed to update or fix problems with a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing bugs, replacing graphics and improving the usability or performance. Though meant to fix problems, poorly designed patches can sometimes introduce new problems. Patch management is the process of using a strategy and plan of what patches should be applied to which systems at a specified time.
Programmers publish and apply patches in various forms. Because proprietary software authors withhold their source code, their patches are distributed as binary executables instead of source. This type of patch modifies the program executable—the program the user actually runs—either by modifying the binary file to include the fixes or by completely replacing it.
Patches can also circulate in the form of source code modifications. In these cases, the patches consist of textual differences between two source code files. These types of patches commonly come out of open source projects. In these cases, developers expect users to compile the new or changed files themselves.
Because the word “patch” carries the connotation of a small fix, large fixes may use different nomenclature. Bulky patches or patches that significantly change a program may circulate as “service packs” or as “software updates”. Microsoft Windows NT and its successors (including Windows 2000, Windows XP, and later versions) use the “service pack” terminology.
In several Unix-like systems, particularly Linux, updates between releases are delivered as new software packages. These updates are in the same format as the original installation so they can be used either to update an existing package in-place (effectively patching) or be used directly for new installations.
Contact CopiaTECH to see how we can help you today with Patch management products.