As vulnerabilities continue to rise, server patching is a quintessential feature of increasing enterprise network security. As business-critical machines, planning downtime for server maintenance is undoubtedly a hassle. However, with efficient server patch management software such as Patch Manager Plus, administrators can freely access patched servers with flexible deployment strategies and restart/shutdown strategies.
What is server patching
Server patching or server patch management is the process of deploying operating system and third-party application updates to servers in an enterprise. Since servers play a vital role, they must be patched seamlessly while minimizing downtime.
Server patching is the process of deploying operating system and third-party application updates to servers in an enterprise to enhance server security and performance.
Why server patching is needed
A proper server patch management process ensures server security by installing the latest patches and security updates. Additionally, it ensures optimal server performance and minimizes downtime.
What is a server patch
Server patches are software updates that contain the latest security updates, bug fixes, or feature enhancements for a server operating system (such as Windows Server 2022) or server applications.
Why server patch management is important
The time administrators allocate to server maintenance is limited as computers cannot be kept in reserve for long periods of time as this would impact the business and productivity of the organization. Server downtime is a threat to every system administrator. When administrators do not patch servers regularly, the likelihood of server crashes is high because if not done, the server will freeze, causing severe downtime. In some cases, servers may slow down, causing excessive traffic and impacting overall productivity. This is why, emphasizing the importance of server patch management and the impact of not patching them, this is where server patch management tools are needed.
How to choose the right server patch management software
When enterprises are looking for the right server patching tool, they should focus primarily on the following two criteria:
- Server patching tools that will be opt-in must support all networks in local and remote offices.
- This server patching tool must support major operating systems such as Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Patch Manager Plus supports the above standards and is undoubtedly the server patch management software suitable for enterprises.
How to provide server patch management
- Server patch management is achieved by installing and patching all servers in the IT environment. Patch Manager Plus supports server patching by identifying servers and workstations that require patching and patching them when detected.
- Patching of server applications is supported, a process that starts with a thorough scan followed by downloading missing patches and then deploying those patches to the server for deployment.
- Offering options to test and patch physical and virtual servers, you can take full control of your servers using server patching tools, which helps ensure your organization's data is secure and up-to-date.
How server patching works
Patch Manager Plus includes the following steps in its patch management process: synchronization, scanning, downloading, testing, deploying approved server patches to respective computers, and finally generating reports. The following is the detailed workflow:
- Synchronization : All server patch information is collected from the vendor site and fed into a patch database, which is then synchronized with the Patch Manager Plus server.
- Detection : The next step is to identify the servers that require these patches, Patch Manager Plus automatically scans servers in the network to detect missing patches.
- Download : All missing patches are downloaded from the vendor site, this includes security updates, non-security updates, service packs, rollups, optional updates, and feature packs.
- Testing and Approval : Downloaded server patches are first tested in virtual servers. Deploying untested patches in a production environment can be risky. Some server patches and updates can cause post-deployment issues, such as compatibility issues, which can lead to post-deployment issues. It will only make administrators' jobs harder when incompatible patches and updates need to be uninstalled, and server patches will only be approved if they won't cause problems after deployment.
- Deployment : Using flexible deployment policies, administrators can not only select deployment windows but also create patching policies. This patch management policy provides access to multiple deployment settings to help you decide when and how to deploy server patches.
- Reporting : After successful deployment, reports will be automatically generated and information sent to the server. It supports custom reports, which helps administrators easily filter data and share the results with others in various formats.
Benefits of going through the server patching process
- Helps organizations optimize server performance, thereby reducing server downtime.
- Efficiently handle all functions and manage server criticality, such as excluding servers for restarts.
- Supports server application patching, detects missing server patches, tests them on virtual servers, and deploys them to servers for deployment.
Patch Manager Plus patching solution , available both on-premises and in the cloud, provides automated patch deployment for Windows, macOS and Linux endpoints and patching support for third-party updates in third-party applications.