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Cloud patch management is one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of cloud security. In a nutshell, it can be described as the process of keeping your cloud-based systems up-to-date with the latest security patches.
While that may sound simple enough, there’s a lot more to it than just making sure your systems are patched. In this blog post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about cloud patch management, from the basics of what it is to the benefits it brings that keep your systems secure.
What Is Cloud Patch Management?
As the name suggests, cloud patch management is the process of managing patches in a cloud environment. This includes identifying which patches are needed, deploying them to the appropriate servers, and then monitoring and verifying that the patches have been applied successfully.
Benefits of Cloud Patch Management
There are many benefits to using such a system, including the ability to automate patching processes and the ability to centrally manage all patching activity from a single console. Additionally, patch management systems can help to reduce operational costs and improve security by ensuring that critical security patches are applied in a timely manner.
One of the biggest benefits is that it allows you to update your systems faster and more efficiently. With traditional patch management, you have to first download the updates, then install them on each individual machine. This can take a lot of time and can be very inefficient.
With cloud patch management, the updates are downloaded and installed automatically, so you don’t have to waste time doing it yourself.
Another benefit is that it’s much more secure. Traditional patch management always carries the risk that someone could hack into your system and install malicious software.
Importance of Cloud Patch Management
There are plenty of reasons that back up the implementation of patch management solutions in your business. It’s efficient, convenient, and can save your employees plenty of time and your organization plenty of trouble with threat actors.
Here are some reasons why is a solution to consider for your business:
Security
The most important reason of them all is the increase in your organization’s security layer that it brings. Unpatched software can be a huge security risk. By not applying the latest security patches, you leave yourself open to attacks from malicious actors who exploit known security vulnerabilities.
Compliance
Many compliance regulations require companies to keep their systems up to date with the latest security patches and software patches. Failing to do so could result in hefty fines or other penalties. A cloud patching solution will ensure that your systems will benefit from the latest updates available.
The cloud solution keeps inventory of the machines your company has at its disposal, as well as each software version of the machines. If you have machines that have outdated solutions implemented which might represent a cybersecurity risk for your organization, the cloud solution will identify it and inform you. It will also recommend a mitigation solution.
Performance and Increased Stability
Applying patches can also help improve the stability and performance of your system. By keeping your system up to date, you can avoid potential issues that could impact productivity or cause downtime.
The Cloud Patch Management Process
Similar to a traditional patch management solution, the cloud patch management solution follows four steps:
- Discovery: In this phase, you will inventory your system to identify which assets are in the cloud and need to be patched.
- Assessment: Once you know what needs to be patched, you will assess the risks associated with each update.
- Remediation: This is the process of actually applying the patches to your systems.
- Verification: Finally, you will verify that the updates were applied successfully and that your systems are still functioning correctly.
Best Cloud Patch Management Practices
Automate Your Patching Process
Patch management can be complicated sometimes, but implementing an automated patching solution can boost your efficiency and accuracy with patches.
Automatic patching will help your company save time and IT resources with identifying, testing, and applying patches across all the machines and servers in its environment. It also reduces the risk of human error, and speed up the patch application process, closing security gaps faster and lowering the chance of exploitation by threat actors.
Implement a Continuous Patching System
A continuous patching cadence can install a vital security fix for a recently found vulnerability right away, without having to wait for weekly or monthly patching cycles.
This avoids the expenses of downtime and reputational harm in addition to averting possible financial losses from a cyberattack.
Create a Cloud-Specific Patch Management Policy
Compared to on-premises deployments, cloud infrastructure may entail various stakeholders and duties.
Establish a precise policy outlining the roles, duties, and procedures related to patch management in your cloud environment.
Prior to deployment, make sure to incorporate processes for testing patches in a non-production environment.
Create a Strong Asset Management System
The foundation of any effective cloud patch management strategy is a strong asset management system.
Keeping a thorough inventory of all of your assets—hardware, software, and network components—gives you visibility and enables you to see what’s in your environment and where your patching efforts should be directed.
Even while asset inventories are important, many organisations find it difficult to keep them up to date.
Centralize Patch Management
The foundation of any effective cloud patch management approach, and an essential patch management best practice, is a strong asset management system.
Keeping a thorough inventory of all of your assets—hardware, software, and network components—gives you visibility and enables you to see what’s in your environment and where your patching efforts should be directed.
Even while asset inventories are important, many organisations find it difficult to keep them up to date.
Heimdal® Solution for Effective Patching
So far, we discussed what is cloud patch management, the benefits it can bring to your company, and what are the steps required for efficient implementation. Heimdal’s® Patch & Asset Management solution offers your business a completely automated cloud-based patching solution, which is fast, easy, and can be operated remotely, across different operating systems.
Create an inventory of your assets, achieve compliance, stop exploits, fix security vulnerabilities, release updates, and deploy software on any schedule, anywhere in the globe. Our solution is compatible with Linux and Windows operating systems, and features adjustable set-and-forget settings for automatic software update deployment.
These settings include OS updates, third-party apps, and custom in-house software. In less than 4 hours, the latest updates are delivered fully repackaged, ad-free, and tested from Heimdal® using encrypted packages inside encrypted HTTPS transfer to your endpoints locally.
Automate patch deployment today and improve your organization’s security posture!
Heimdal® Patch & Asset Management Software
- Schedule updates at your convenience;
- See any software assets in inventory;
- Global deployment and LAN P2P;
- And much more than we can fit in here...
Conclusion
As we have seen in this article, cloud patch management is an important and efficient solution that is often overlooked.
By automating the patch management process, organizations can reduce the risk of vulnerabilities and ensure that their systems are up-to-date with the latest security fixes. While there are many benefits to using a cloud patch management solution, it’s important to select the solution that meets your specific needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)
What is cloud patch management?
As the name implies, cloud patch management refers to the process of applying firmware and software updates across machines and servers in a cloud-based environment.
What is the difference between cloud and on-premise patch management?
Cloud patch management solutions are renowned for their cost, scalability, security, and ease of maintenance. On-premise solutions, on the other hand, provide total control over configurations, hardware, and data. The decision is based on the unique requirements and priorities of an organisation.
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Cristian is a Content Editor & Creator at Heimdal®, where he developed a deep understanding of the digital threat landscape. His style resonates with both technical and non-technical readers, proof being in his skill of communicating cybersecurity norms effectively, in an easy-to-understand manner.
