Never change a running system – or should you?

The 4th quarter is just around the corner – it’s high time to be well prepared for the coming year!

One topic that has kept companies very busy this year and will continue to gain in importance in the new year is the risk of cyberattacks due to weaknesses in the IT landscape. Patch management makes an important contribution to plugging such gateways and gaps in your own IT infrastructure.

But what exactly is “patch management” and how does it benefit me as an entrepreneur? – We show this and more in this blog post.

Patch management – what is it?

The first patch manager we all got to know was our mom. Coming home from the playground with holes in her pants again – oh, mom can do it. She just patches a patch on her knee and gets on with it!

What at first sounds like a trivial, nostalgic pun is not so far-fetched – because the German translation for “to patch” also means “to mend”. In the IT world, a patch is software that is developed to update or optimize a software system or to correct errors. To achieve this, code changes to existing software are planned, procured, tested and installed.

These holes (security gaps) should always be fixed or “patched” as quickly as possible so that they cannot be exploited by third parties. This is because poorly installed or uninstalled software updates are gateways for aggressive attackers, computer viruses and other malware. Hackers use the resulting problem areas to penetrate IT structures, manipulate data or access confidential data. Operating systems are just as much a focus as applications.

“Yeah, then just stick a patch on it and everything’s fine, right?”

No. It’s not as one-dimensional as it sounds. Patch management is a multi-stage process that continuously supplies the company network with the latest updates. As companies today use numerous different software products, it is becoming increasingly challenging for users to maintain an overview. And this is exactly where our experienced experts and our automated solutions can help.

First of all, the current status of your system environment is recorded. We check all devices, company programs and third-party providers that have access to your systems and determine the need for patches. It must be determined which device requires which patches and to what extent. There are various reasons for the need for a patch. A general distinction is therefore made between three types of patch:

While the so-called bugfix fixes errors in the program source code, the hotfix fixes errors in the application program that cannot be postponed. The third type of patch is the classic form of update. It contains functional enhancements, some of which also serve to rectify errors.

If a patch management solution is integrated, it continuously searches for vulnerabilities and corresponding updates.

Why is this so important and what are the benefits for me as an entrepreneur?

Patch management can not only close security gaps, but often also brings functional improvements. It ensures that your software and applications are always up to date and run smoothly. Your systems are therefore always available.

One point that is not always present is that companies have to comply with regulations in order to protect themselves against the ever-increasing risk of cyberattacks. With our management, we help you to meet the given compliance requirements.

However, as already mentioned, the biggest benefit is security. By eliminating vulnerabilities in the programs used in your company, you close gateways and thus make a significant contribution to protecting against attacks on your IT structure. To round it off in youth language: With patch management from be-solutions, you have “no headaches”. You take care of your core business and we have your back – together for your (secure) success!