Patching devices, whether you’re an internal IT team or an MSP, is something that takes time, costs money, and honestly isn’t a particularly pleasant job. Different products do different jobs at patching, but no matter what you use, you should always make sure you patch in a timely manner. If we go back ten years, it used to take upwards of 30 days for people to exploit security vulnerabilities, but in recent years, we’ve seen that decrease to 15 days.

Data breaches and ransomware attacks are increasing exponentially. The number of data breaches reported per year has increased nearly 70% in the past five years. Eighty-five percent of IT decision makers report having suffered at least one ransomware attack over the same period. Organizations that fall victim to these breaches and attacks experience system downtime, damaged reputations, IP loss and other ill effects that lead to lost business.

When it comes to the world of IT, many things can go wrong on devices and with software. These imperfections can often result in security risks and vulnerabilities, so patches are applied to fix any defects. Patch management consists of managing the identification and remediation of these vulnerabilities in your IT environment. Patching is one of the most important components when it comes to managing IT vulnerabilities, so it is crucial to have an effective patch management policy in place.

Ransomware attacks are increasing in frequency and severity every year. The impact to companies is devastating. These attacks typically lead to lost business for companies as they often cause increased customer turnover, system downtime, diminished reputation and other adverse side effects.

Like a football or soccer team, security also has two lineups that must be continuously managed. One lineup involves protecting the digital assets and data of a business. The other: managing the security risk and vulnerability exposure of these environments and endpoints. The tension between these two lineups keep security and IT very busy. There is a critical shortage of expert security professionals, which means no expanding the bench of talent, even if you can afford it.