Patch management is the process for identifying, acquiring, installing, and verifying patches for products and systems. Patches correct security and functionality problems in software and firmware. There are several challenges that complicate patch management. If organizations do not overcome these challenges, they will be unable to patch systems effectively and efficiently, leading to easily preventable compromises. This publication is designed to assist organizations in understanding the basics of enterprise patch management technologies. It explains the importance of patch management and examines the challenges inherent in performing patch management. This publication also provides an overview of enterprise patch management technologies and briefly discusses metrics for measuring the technologies’ effectiveness and for comparing the relative importance of patches.
Keywords
information security; patch management; remediation; software patches; vulnerability management
