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splash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h1 id="962b">Staying on top of security alerts</h1><p id="ba77">No matter your business’s size, have a dedicated person or team already keeping track of security warnings and patch release announcements. If you have a contracted IT management team, determine if this is part of your coverage.</p><p id="b94d">Some software notifies you when a security patch becomes available and provides specific instructions. Other companies will email your software registration contact. Some will rely solely on industry news outlets to spread the word. In any case, you need to have someone who can keep on top of cyber threats and security developments.</p><p id="5996">Whoever is to keep track of security alerts should also determine the best time to install the patches while minimizing business downtime.</p><h1 id="d0ee">Manual or automatic patch installation, which is better?</h1><p id="5dfa">Depending on your network’s size or the amount of software that needs to be updated, patch installation could be manual or automatic. While manual patch installation isn’t an effective use of time for large systems, it might be more cost-effective for smaller IT environments.</p><p id="3c61">When working with an IT infrastructure that’s spread across several servers and locations, you’ll need to look at the variety of commercial tools available for patch maintenance. The top two commercial patch management tools with the broadest range of platform, software, and OS support are Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Symantec Patch Management Solution.</p><p id="b310">Both Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and Symantec Patch Management Solution support:</p><ul><li>All modern Windows computers</li><li>MacOS</li><li>Most varieties of Linux and Unix</li><li>Many iOS and Windows-based mobile devices</li></ul><p id="cfce">If you go this route, you’ll need to purchase a software management product that supports both your current and future platforms and needs.</p><figure id="47c5"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*UPvkrz9pIH76T_K4"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@austindistel?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Austin Distel</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h1 id="fc31">What about mobile devices?</h1><p id="ecf4">While mobile devices are vulnerable to cyberattack, many security patch management tools for mobile devices are relatively quick and easy to use. Most times, these patches install automatically. Because mobile apps are small, devices will often reinstall the app in its entirety without losing personal data.</p><p id="9987">Even when the apps don’t automatically update or reinstall, there is usually an update notification in your app management utility. Taking care of this is as simple as granting the devi

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ce permission to download and install the update. Your app management software will also often give you a history of past updates so you can confirm what has and has not been updated.</p><p id="e641">In those areas of mobile device management that aren’t so easily covered automatically, Microsoft and Symantec also have patch maintenance tools explicitly aimed at mobile platforms.</p><h1 id="9b19">Stay ahead in business by getting ahead of security issues</h1><p id="60a2">There are many ways cybercriminals can attempt to infiltrate your systems, including phishing, malware, identity theft, brute-force hacking, and more. It’s a constant chore to keep ahead of the threats, but failure to do so may result in expensive downtime or even catastrophic loss or corruption of data.</p><p id="4d8c">When your system goes down, your productivity grinds to a halt, and you not only suffer a loss in profit but a loss in your reputation. You owe it to yourself and your customers to keep on top of good security. Your software and system creators are doing their part to close holes where they find them, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to act upon security notifications and the solutions they supply.</p><div id="2a9a" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/how-providing-employee-benefits-can-strengthen-your-business-3c0c39c30153"> <div> <div> <h2>How Providing Employee Benefits Can Strengthen Your Business</h2> <div><h3>A lot comes down to keeping your best employees happy.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.datadriveninvestor.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*S2800gdS0JDW_Vzx)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="0be3" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/7-critical-features-your-it-support-should-include-87261f63ea8"> <div> <div> <h2>7 Critical Features Your IT Support Should Include</h2> <div><h3>A good support team can save you time, money, and hassle.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*pEU9_1x2m4v2pk62)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="446b"><i>Thank you for reading. I’d love to share more with you via my <a href="https://mailchi.mp/5b9666ece8ef/wordsbyjohnsub"></a></i><a href="https://mailchi.mp/5b9666ece8ef/wordsbyjohnsub"><b>Bi-Weekly Word Roundup</b><i></i></a><i> newsletter sent to subscribers every other Sunday. It will feature news, productivity tips, life hacks, and links to top stories making the rounds on the Internet. You can unsubscribe at any time.</i></p></article></body>

What Your Business Needs To Know About Software Patching

Why software updates matter

We want to think that once we’ve installed a piece of software, there are no other necessary tasks. However, if you’re not looking past its current usage and only planning on thinking about when it’s time to upgrade, you could be putting your entire infrastructure at risk.

When it comes to security issues, we hate to sound like doomsayers, but the risks of cyberattacks are all but guaranteed, with new threats arising on a near-daily basis. Your systems and software are vulnerable to exploitation from any number of sources. Whether it’s from bad actors finding more clever ways to probe and infiltrate your system because of security gaps in your software, the threat is real.

That being said, there is more to software maintenance beyond the initial installation. You have to keep up to date with software patches that companies release. Designed to plug the security holes and bolster your defenses against more sophisticated attacks, they are essential to maintaining your security.

Setting up the best patch installation process

To make the whole patching process more manageable, first, examine your entire IT setup and see what vulnerabilities may already exist. You might be able to make things more efficient when it comes time to install a patch.

Inventory the operating systems and versions in use at your business in addition to IP addresses, locations, users, and functions. From here, try to standardize your setup so you’re running identical versions of both system and application software. The fewer versions running, the fewer patch installations you should have to worry about.

In addition, take a look at what security protocols you already have in place, including routers and firewalls and their configurations. This will help you determine how critical a software vulnerability alert may be.

Calculate the vulnerability and likelihood of a cyber attack, then prioritize the risks. Even though you might have a firewall that protects you from one exposure, you may have other, less secure servers. While not every known threat may apply to you right now, they should still be addressed at some point soon.

Staying on top of security alerts

No matter your business’s size, have a dedicated person or team already keeping track of security warnings and patch release announcements. If you have a contracted IT management team, determine if this is part of your coverage.

Some software notifies you when a security patch becomes available and provides specific instructions. Other companies will email your software registration contact. Some will rely solely on industry news outlets to spread the word. In any case, you need to have someone who can keep on top of cyber threats and security developments.

Whoever is to keep track of security alerts should also determine the best time to install the patches while minimizing business downtime.

Manual or automatic patch installation, which is better?

Depending on your network’s size or the amount of software that needs to be updated, patch installation could be manual or automatic. While manual patch installation isn’t an effective use of time for large systems, it might be more cost-effective for smaller IT environments.

When working with an IT infrastructure that’s spread across several servers and locations, you’ll need to look at the variety of commercial tools available for patch maintenance. The top two commercial patch management tools with the broadest range of platform, software, and OS support are Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Symantec Patch Management Solution.

Both Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and Symantec Patch Management Solution support:

All modern Windows computers
MacOS
Most varieties of Linux and Unix
Many iOS and Windows-based mobile devices

If you go this route, you’ll need to purchase a software management product that supports both your current and future platforms and needs.

What about mobile devices?

While mobile devices are vulnerable to cyberattack, many security patch management tools for mobile devices are relatively quick and easy to use. Most times, these patches install automatically. Because mobile apps are small, devices will often reinstall the app in its entirety without losing personal data.

Even when the apps don’t automatically update or reinstall, there is usually an update notification in your app management utility. Taking care of this is as simple as granting the device permission to download and install the update. Your app management software will also often give you a history of past updates so you can confirm what has and has not been updated.

In those areas of mobile device management that aren’t so easily covered automatically, Microsoft and Symantec also have patch maintenance tools explicitly aimed at mobile platforms.

Stay ahead in business by getting ahead of security issues

There are many ways cybercriminals can attempt to infiltrate your systems, including phishing, malware, identity theft, brute-force hacking, and more. It’s a constant chore to keep ahead of the threats, but failure to do so may result in expensive downtime or even catastrophic loss or corruption of data.

When your system goes down, your productivity grinds to a halt, and you not only suffer a loss in profit but a loss in your reputation. You owe it to yourself and your customers to keep on top of good security. Your software and system creators are doing their part to close holes where they find them, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to act upon security notifications and the solutions they supply.

How Providing Employee Benefits Can Strengthen Your Business

A lot comes down to keeping your best employees happy.

medium.datadriveninvestor.com

7 Critical Features Your IT Support Should Include

A good support team can save you time, money, and hassle.

medium.com

Thank you for reading. I’d love to share more with you via my Bi-Weekly Word Roundup newsletter sent to subscribers every other Sunday. It will feature news, productivity tips, life hacks, and links to top stories making the rounds on the Internet. You can unsubscribe at any time.