Free Edition Patch Deployment is a process which involves the deployment of hotfixes/patches that are released from time to time. Patch management is one of the most important tasks in any IT organization. With networks becoming more and more vulnerable to malefic attacks, software vendors keep releasing umpteen patches to secure networks that run their applications. Industry survey reports the average vulnerability-to-exploit window to be less than a week. Network Managers need to act fast to patch their systems to safety.
For effective patch management, Endpoint Central handles this issue in an efficient way by offering a variety of patch deployment options viz, Patch/System based deployments, scheduled/automated deployment, etc. In our discussion further, we will understand the nuances of each of these methods. This endpoint patch management software provides enterprises a single interface for automating all patch management tasks. It provides third party patch management which manages and deploys patches to over 350 third-party applications.
Endpoint Central provides detailed information about missing patches in the Network. Implementing security patch management helps you address known software vulnerabilities. Patch based deployment options facilitate Network administrators to deploy the patch on all the vulnerable systems applicable for vulnerability management. A patch update is a collection of patches for multiple security vulnerabilities. This patch update resolves previous issues. Network administrators can look at the severity level indicated and decide on the patches that need to be deployed immediately.
Endpoint Central application is a patching software which provides a detailed view of the healthy and vulnerable systems in the network. System based deployment option enables desktop administrators to deploy all the missing patches in a selected set of systems in the network.
The scheduled patch deployment allows administrators to trigger the patch deployment process at the desired time. Network Managers can schedule the activity of deploying a software patch based on criteria like network resource utilization, availability of Roaming/Mobile users like sales executives at the office, etc, and also address peak-hour productivity loss concerns in an efficient way. The method also offers the flexibility for the administrator to make a choice on the essential patches to be deployed viz. all patches applicable to a set of systems / all vulnerable systems in which patches are missing.
The fortnightly release of Microsoft Patches makes manual patch deployment a tedious process. Endpoint Central's Automated Patch Deployment offers options for network managers to fully automate patch related activities A-Z. Right from synchronizing the Vulnerability database to the extent of scanning and deploying missing patches, no manual intervention is needed. Being a one-time scheduling process, the procedure facilitates enhanced time and resource utilization. One other advantage is the flexibility to enforce Patch Deployment on computers in a selected group or department. For example, you may want the desktops in your Finance department to be intact and patches to be deployed without delay.
Deployment of certain patches that are related to OS components may force an immediate reboot; a critical operation for many environments especially when production servers are involved. Endpoint Central offers a flexible Reboot Policy that allows administrators to customize reboot after patch deployment. The Endpoint Central application offers a choice of the following reboot options:
However, there is also a default option for not rebooting the system after the patch deployment.