Patch management - the process of scanning, detecting, testing, and applying patches or updates to software and operating systems is more than just a routine IT task. In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, patch management is a mission-critical security function.
With vulnerabilities being actively exploited within days of disclosure, organizations that delay patch deployment expose themselves to significant risks, including the increased likelihood of cyberattacks and regulatory compliance fines.
For IT administrators managing patches across heterogeneous environments, including on-premises servers, cloud instances, remote endpoints, legacy systems, and third-party software, the patching process can get delayed for multiple reasons. But unfortunately, time, tide, and threat actors wait for none. This is why, with a well-documented patch management process in place, administrators can not only limit the attack surface but also streamline the patching strategy followed by IT teams.
This article explains the need for a robust patch management process and the core steps and best practices to create one.
Most successful cyberattacks exploit publicly known vulnerabilities-often with patches already available. Threat actors frequently use automated tools to scan for these weaknesses, especially in internet-facing assets.
A defined patch management process ensures:
By proactively closing known gaps, organizations can avoid falling victim to low-effort, high-impact attacks, such as ransomware and supply chain exploits.
Speed is critical when responding to new vulnerabilities, especially zero-days or threats with active exploits in the wild. Without an efficient process, teams struggle to respond within acceptable timeframes.
Patch management reduces MTTR by:
Faster remediation helps limit dwell time and narrows the window attackers have to exploit a known flaw.
Unpatched systems are more susceptible to bugs, crashes, or incompatibility with newer software. But untested or rushed patches can also introduce instability.
A mature patching process ensures:
This approach minimizes operational disruption while keeping systems secure and functional.
Cybersecurity regulations and industry standards, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST, and ISO 27001, explicitly require the timely patching of known vulnerabilities.
A structured patching process:
Patch management isn’t just a best practice - it’s a compliance mandate in most sectors.
The rise of remote and hybrid work has expanded the attack surface. Devices outside the corporate network often miss critical updates due to poor visibility or limited access.
Modern patch management tools enable:
This ensures consistent protection across all endpoints, whether in-office, remote, or BYOD.
Patch management is the operational engine that drives vulnerability remediation. Identifying a CVE is only half the battle; closing it is what reduces risk.
An integrated patching process enables:
This alignment ensures vulnerabilities don’t remain open due to workflow gaps or manual oversight.
In the event of a breach, patch records provide critical context:
Patch histories and audit logs help security teams respond faster, isolate affected assets, and fulfill forensic or legal obligations.
Beyond security, patching improves system performance and longevity. Regular updates:
It also helps standardize configurations across the environment, making IT operations more predictable and manageable.
Despite its critical importance, patch management is fraught with challenges that can hinder timely and effective remediation. One of the most persistent issues is a lack of visibility-organizations often struggle to maintain an accurate, real-time inventory of all endpoints, especially in hybrid environments where remote devices and shadow IT complicate discovery. Without knowing what exists, teams can't patch what’s missing.
Prioritization is another hurdle. With a constant influx of patches from OS vendors and third-party software providers, determining which vulnerabilities pose the highest risk based on severity, exploit availability, and business impact requires more than just CVSS scores. Without a risk-based framework, teams risk wasting time on low-priority updates while critical exposures remain unpatched.
Operational friction also plays a role. Patching can introduce downtime, break dependencies, or cause instability if not properly tested. This leads to delays or skipped updates, especially on mission-critical systems. Furthermore, many organizations still rely on manual or semi-automated processes that don’t scale well, creating bottlenecks in large or distributed environments.
These challenges, if left unaddressed, not only increase exposure to threats but also make it harder to meet compliance mandates and audit requirements. To dive deeper into these issues and explore strategies for overcoming them, read our full breakdown of patch management challenges.
Implementing an effective patch management process requires more than just downloading updates-it involves a structured, repeatable lifecycle that spans asset discovery to compliance reporting. Below is a comprehensive step-by-step guide IT teams can follow to build a secure, scalable, and audit-ready patch management process.
Begin by identifying and cataloging all assets within your IT environment. This includes physical and virtual servers, workstations, laptops, mobile devices, networking hardware, and IoT endpoints. Use automated discovery tools or a CMDB to create a real-time inventory, capturing key details such as OS version, installed software, and asset criticality. A complete and accurate inventory lays the foundation for targeted and effective patching.
Once assets are mapped, conduct regular vulnerability scans using vulnerability scanning tools or integrated patch platforms. These scans should detect missing patches, outdated software, misconfigurations, and known CVEs. Supplement this with threat intelligence feeds, vendor advisories, and databases like the NVD or CISA KEV to stay ahead of emerging threats. This stage provides visibility into what needs to be patched and why.
Not all vulnerabilities pose equal risk. Use a risk-based approach to triage patches based on CVSS scores, known exploits, asset exposure (e.g., internet-facing systems), and business impact. High-priority vulnerabilities-especially those with active exploits-should be patched immediately, while lower-risk updates can be scheduled during routine maintenance windows. Aligning patching priorities with business risk helps optimize both security and operational continuity.
Before deploying patches organization-wide, validate them in a staging or sandbox environment that closely mirrors production. This step ensures compatibility with existing applications, identifies potential regressions, and helps avoid downtime or disruptions. Include tests for performance, system dependencies, and third-party integrations. For critical patches, also define rollback procedures in case issues arise post-deployment.
Integrate patching with your organization's change management process. For environments governed by ITIL or other frameworks, this means submitting change requests, obtaining approvals, and notifying stakeholders. Clearly document planned actions, affected systems, rollback plans, and maintenance windows to ensure effective management. This formalization ensures accountability and minimizes the risk of unauthorized or disruptive changes.
Deploy patches using a method that aligns with your environment’s scale and complexity. Small environments may manage with manual deployments, while larger environments benefit from centralized, automated solutions. Automating deployment reduces errors, speeds up rollout, and allows scheduling during off-peak hours to limit user disruption.
After deployment, verify that patches were successfully installed and that no systems were missed or adversely affected. Use health checks, deployment logs, and endpoint telemetry to detect failures or regressions. Rescan patched assets to ensure vulnerabilities have been fully remediated. Generate compliance reports that show patch status by system, severity, and SLA adherence, critical for internal tracking and external audits.
Maintain detailed records of every patching activity. This includes what was patched, when, by whom (admin/technician details), and whether the patch was successful. Ensure logs are centrally stored, tamper-proof, and accessible for compliance audits. Well-maintained documentation supports traceability, helps resolve incidents faster, and demonstrates regulatory due diligence.
Finally, treat patch management as an iterative process. Regularly review patching performance, failed deployments, SLA compliance, and audit findings. Use these insights to fine-tune your patch policies, automate bottlenecks, and update asset inventories. Threats evolve-your patching process should too.
IT teams should formalize a documented patching policy approved by the CSO. The policy should include:
This provides accountability and aligns patching with organizational risk posture.
As organizations scale, manual patching is bound to fail - due to its lack of scalability. Hence, it is imperative to use automation wherever possible, especially in the following instances:
Different work roles require different operating systems, software, and tools. Thus, it is best to group them to avoid a one-size-fits-all rollout. Some of the best practices while grouping endpoints are:
A 2025 study states that 32% of cyberattacks exploit unpatched software vulnerabilities. Data suggests that patching the OS isn't just enough to maintain a secure environment. Therefore:
Regularly tracking the patching metrics helps with holistic visibility and audits. IT teams can monitor the patching performance using:
This data supports continuous improvement and justifies security investments.
Threats evolve, so should your patching. Internal teams should adopt proactive strategies such as:
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus - a trusted patch management solution simplifies and automates every stage of the patch management lifecycle - from detection to deployment across diverse IT environments.
Whether you're managing endpoints in a local office, a globally distributed workforce, or an air-gapped network, this patch management solution provides a centralized console, advanced automation, and detailed visibility to ensure timely and secure patching.
Here are some of the salient features that make this solution the ideal choice for those looking to implement a well-defined patch management process in their organization with minimal hassles:
Patch Manager Plus supports patching for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems, as well as over 1,100 third-party applications. The all-in-one patching capability of this tool eliminates the need for multiple tools, ensuring comprehensive coverage across commonly exploited software, including Adobe, Java, Zoom, Chrome, and more.
Admins can schedule and automate regular scans to identify missing patches and outdated software. It automatically fetches updates from vendor repositories and classifies patches based on severity and system exposure - helping IT teams prioritize effectively.
To reduce risk, Patch Manager Plus enables testing in controlled environments before deploying patches to production. Admins can create test groups, validate patch behavior, and approve updates through customizable workflows, minimizing downtime and compatibility issues.
Organizations can create deployment policies that suit their operational needs, such as scheduling rollouts during maintenance windows, automating reboots, defining retry intervals, and sequencing patch delivery based on business criticality. Additionally, remote endpoints can be patched seamlessly over the internet without requiring a VPN.
Patch Manager Plus offers detailed dashboards and reports that track deployment status, overall system health, and other compliance metrics. Furthermore, admins can rescan systems post-deployment to confirm remediation and generate audit-ready documentation for compliance with frameworks such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and ISO 27001.
With its cloud-based edition, Patch Manager Plus ensures that laptops and remote systems-whether on-premises or roaming-stay up to date. The platform can patch internet-facing endpoints without requiring them to connect to the corporate network, making it ideal for hybrid work models.
Test drive the complete features of the solution with a fully-functional, 30-day free trial.
The key steps are: asset discovery, vulnerability scanning, patch prioritization, testing, approval, deployment, post-deployment validation, and documentation. A structured patch management process ensures timely, secure, and compliant patching across all systems, ensuring seamless operation.
Testing helps identify compatibility issues or conflicts before deployment, ensuring a seamless experience. It ensures that patches won’t disrupt production systems and allows for a safe rollback if problems arise.
Patches should be deployed at least weekly or bi-weekly, with critical vulnerabilities patched within 24 to 72 hours. The frequency depends on risk level and compliance needs.
Automated patching utilizes patch management tools to scan, identify, detect, and deploy updates automatically, saving time and reducing errors.
Manual patching requires hands-on effort, involving the manual identification of systems that are missing patches and their subsequent deployment. This process is slower and less scalable than automated patching.
Patching closes known vulnerabilities, reducing the attack surface. It complements firewalls, antivirus, and access controls, forming a key layer in a defense-in-depth strategy.
