IT & Cloud
Patch Management
The controlled process of testing and deploying operating system, firmware, and application updates across a fleet on a defined schedule.
Most breaches exploit vulnerabilities with patches already available, which makes patch cadence one of the highest-value security controls. But blind auto-update breaks line-of-business software, so real patch management means rings: test group, pilot, broad deployment, with reporting on what actually installed.
Firmware is the half everyone forgets. Switches, access points, cameras, door controllers, NVRs, and DSPs all run software with published vulnerabilities, and none of them appear in a Windows patch report. They need their own inventory and schedule.
Related terms
- RMM
- The agent-based platform an IT provider uses to monitor device health, deploy patches, run scripts, and support endpoints remotely at scale.
- Endpoint Security
- Protection on the device itself that detects malicious behaviour, contains it, and preserves the forensic trail — going beyond signature-based antivirus.
- Zero Trust
- A security model that treats no network as inherently safe, verifying identity, device health, and authorisation for every request rather than trusting anything inside a perimeter.
- Managed IT Services
- An outsourced model where a provider monitors, maintains, patches, and supports a company's IT for a recurring fee, rather than billing per incident.
More IT & Cloud terms
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