Patch management is an issue today
for all Information Technology ("IT") managers. In the
not too distant past, patches were changes to software
that had to be applied to keep the software
up-to-date, and could sometimes be ignored, or, at
least, delayed, if you did not need the new features
provided in the patch. In today's world, patches are
often security related changes to software that should
be installed in order to protect your system from
viruses, worms, and other threats that abound. Gartner
analysts have estimated that nearly 90% of attacks
involve vulnerabilities for which there are known
patches.
Every business needs to define a
patch management policy to ensure that its critical
information is protected. The first thing to do is
identify which systems and applications require
updates and how often the updates should be applied.
Patching systems is another task that should be
performed regularly by your IT Department, and is
another load on your resources.
You'll need a list of all your
systems and applications broken down into their
component pieces: firmware, operating systems,
frameworks, class files, middleware, applications,
etc. For each of these components, you'll have to
decide which you want to actively patch, which you
will only change if you experience problems, and which
have dependencies. For example, if you update your
version of the Java runtime environment, do you need
to upgrade some of your class files, as well?
Another concern that your IT
management must address is, "will the patch introduce
other problems into our operations?" Not all patches
are trouble-free and application of needed patches can
create conflicts with other systems or applications.
Your patch management program must provide for a
procedure for testing patches and for ensuring a
convenient recovery path in the event of such problems
occurring.
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