Digital assets in organizations are on a growing spree. As businesses grow, so do the number of employees, ergo digital assets, such as laptops, and workstations. Conversely, cyberattacks are equally mutating into newer forms, from phishing and MITM attacks to SQL injections.
While patch management is the first line of defense for safeguarding organizations against cyberattacks, it is crucial to incorporate newer strategies. Traditional patching might soon fail to mitigate vulnerabilities if not updated with the latest methods. This blog outlines the trends that may shape and strengthen patch management in 2025.
The advent of Artificial Intelligence can make patching far more automated and an intelligent process with insights from past patching activities and the latest information on vulnerabilities across the web.
Based on the organization's patching process, activities, and priorities, AI can inspect and replicate such policies without the need for manual intervention. In addition, it can further reduce patch compatibility issues by analyzing the system configurations and past data.
For instance: Patches of a certain application, say X, cause compatibility issues when installed on systems that have application Y installed. In this case, by leveraging AI, a report of the systems that have application Y installed can be generated and can be used to notify the admins about the possible impacts in case the same type of patches are re-deployed in the future.
In general, the combined capabilities of Artificial Intelligence and patching can further streamline the process, provide data-backed, automated insights for admins, and offer proactive remediation in case of compatibility issues and zero days.
A total of 40,294 vulnerabilities were reported in 2024 and over 5000 vulnerabilities have been reported in 2025 so far. With an ever-expanding digital workforce and a plethora of vulnerabilities, admins are now embracing automated patch management this year.
By automating patch management, not only do the admins cut on the man hours spent on the repetitive patching tasks but also ensure minimal delay when it comes to deploying critical or zero-day patches.
By combining automated patching with a self service portal for patches, admins can further extend the control for patching in the hands of the employees. This is particularly useful in cases where the employees operate critical systems (such as external servers, MRI machines, etc.) and it is difficult to pre-schedule a downtime for patching and maintenance.
Patching vulnerabilities based on CVSS scores might not make the cut anymore. While this is a prevalent practice, the continually evolving vulnerability landscape requires different actions.
Not all vulnerabilities rated as Severe or High are likely to be exploited. Similarly, not all Low severity vulnerabilities can be forgotten. The latest trends prioritize patching vulnerabilities based on the risk they pose, the potential impacts that they can cause, and the number and types of systems in the organization's network that are affected by the vulnerabilities.
Saas has undoubtedly made business operations a breeze. With more and more cloud UEM and patching solutions making their way into the market, businesses are increasingly preferring cloud solutions, as their go-to.
The native plug-and-play functionalities without the need to manage an in-house server largely reduce business overhead. Automatic updates to the solution and the ability to access from anywhere without a VPN further strengthen the growing prominence of cloud patching solutions.
Zero trust is a common approach in network security that ensures no device or user should be trusted by default or provided with admin privileges. The devices or the users are provided with the required privileges, based on the business needs.
This year, we might witness the growing prominence of the zero-trust strategy in patching as well. To simplify, patches will also be treated as security risks by default unless tested and verified.
By leveraging features such as automated testing and approval of patches on test systems, admins can ensure that the patches are compatible, functional, and free from security risks.
Lastly, with increasingly stringent regulatory frameworks, SecOps teams are now focusing on developing patching strategies that ensure adherence to global and regional standards such as PCI DSS, GDPR, and so on.
Ensuring patch compliance and maintaining audit reports of the patch management process form a crucial part of the process. The increasing trend in mandatory compliance adherence will further lead to developments in such strategies.
As the threat landscape evolves, so do the strategies of mitigation. The above-mentioned trends are expected to dictate the direction and future of patch management in 2025 and in the coming years.
At ManageEngine, we are on the lookout for the latest trends and the ways to capitalize on them with our solutions. Patch Manager Plus, our native patch management solution checks all the boxes when it comes to vulnerability mitigation through patching. You can take a 30-day free trial to know more about the features in-depth.
