Are patch management best practices really a big concern? Computers grab patches from the internet as they need them, and they are supposed to install them automatically. If they do not, then what are the potential repercussions? Security matters are a huge dot on the radar of IT departments today. Aside from not having a solid firewall in place on your network, allowing computers to run amok without updated security patches is a huge risk. One can assume that all the computers under your control are being updated automatically, but how to be certain? It is all too easy for an end user to ignore prompts to install patches and skirt the patch management best practices you have in place. A truly savvy user might even figure out the way to disable them completely. Having even one computer out of compliance with your patch management best practices can create enough of an opening for a hacker to get into a computer on your network and gain access to other network resources.

A patch management best practices does more than protect a single machine, it has to protect all of the sensitive data stored on your network. Not following patch management best practices not only places a single machine at risk, but all computers and servers that the machine is capable of accessing. It is therefore critical that all employees and computer users who operate within your system to comply with the patch management best practices in place at your company. This will protect them from disciplinary action should their machine be violated due to the disabling of automatic updating and protect the interests of the company in general. A patch management best practices policy is there for a reason, and it is of little benefit if those who work under its umbrella do not strictly adhere to it.