patch management

Yesterday was Patch Tuesday for Microsoft--a busy Patch Tuesday with 12 new security bulletins addressing 22 separate vulnerabilities. It was also a big day for patching issues with Adobe software as well. As comforting as it might be to know that all of these vulnerabilities have been patched, the unfortunate truth is that we're still going to do it all over again next month. Shouldn't there be some better way than applying new Band-Aids every month?

Fiberlink Communications thinks it can cut patch management costs for IT departments with a new cloud-based service.

Patch management software helps organizations acquire, test and install code to fix known vulnerabilities in operating systems and applications. It also helps them assess exposure and prioritize patches (given your specific environment), identify missing patches that need to be remediated and produce real-time reports for compliance and other auditing needs.

The e-mails I get on Patch Tuesday tend to play up the latest flaws as if the apocalypse is at hand. Patch immediately, their clients warn, or doom will almost certainly befall your company computer networks.