Software Update Management: Challenges and Benefits
Software Update Management ConsultingPatch management is an essential and complex process. Prompt and properly managed updating optimizes security, compliance, availability, and capability. Sporadic patch management can result in security gaps, compatibility problems, slow or erratic responsiveness, unnecessary offline stretches, or unavailability of key functions. Patching entails more than periodic updates of operating systems and applications for servers and endpoints. Firmware patches can be a critical for peripherals such as printers and scanners, infrastructure appliances such as routers and wireless access points, and IoT devices such as alarms and health monitors.

Software Update Management Services

Progent's Patch Management services can cover IoT devices such as alarms and health monitors

The patching process can present a range of complications that vary for various environments. IT resources that may require patching can reside on-premises, in the cloud, on the road, or in the homes of telecommuters. Networks may support a combination of Microsoft Windows, Linux, Apple macOS, and Google operating systems and apps. Some updates can be installed programmatically and at scale with management tools such as Microsoft Configuration Manager, Intune, or Azure Automation Update. Other updates must be performed by hand. Patching for vital resources must be scheduled to minimize business disruption. For certain line-of-business systems, patches must be carefully tested prior to being approved for production.

Progent's support services for patch management offer businesses of any size a flexible and cost-effective solution for assessing, validating, scheduling, implementing, and documenting software and firmware updates to your ever-evolving information system. Besides optimizing the security and functionality of your information system, Progent's software and firmware update management offerings free up time for your IT team to focus on crucial initiatives and tasks that return top business value to your network.

Patch Management Consultants

Patch management is a closed-loop activity critical to your risk management strategy

Progent's Software Update Management Processes
Progent offers regular and custom service programs for patch management. These managed services permit you to offload a portion or all of your company's patch management activity to a network support organization with more than 20 years of background delivering solution design, implementation, and support to businesses of all sizes globally. Progent operates in close conjunction with your IT management team to determine the critical services you need. Services available from Progent for patch include:

  • Inventory network resources: This can cover key platforms such as Exchange and SQL, web-facing physical and virtual servers, workstations and mobile endpoints, security appliances like VPN controllers, and network devices like switches and wireless APs.
  • Select resources to be placed under management: Progent will confer with you to determine which of your IT resources you pick for continuing patch management services. Progent provides a variety of regular service programs that target certain types of assets and Progent can also provide specialized programs to accommodate your unique requirements.
  • Implement patch management utilities: Progent is familiar with a broad selection of software update platforms and update inventory reporting systems. Examples of tools include Azure Automation Update for cloud-hosted resources, Microsoft Configuration Manager for on-prem entities, Intune for mobile devices, IT Glue for IT asset documentation, plus a selection of advanced anti-virus products. Together, these tools enable you to deploy and track updates for network resources residing in cloud environments, on site, on the move, at branch offices, and in the houses of telecommuters.
  • Analyze update status and carry out risk assessment of missing patches: For the most part, environments with up-to-date patching are more secure and stable than those with inconsistent updates. Still, some patches are rushed into production and carry the potential to disrupt essential business operations by introducing compatibility issues, system shutdowns, or unfamiliar changes to end-user environments. Progent can help clients to determine which updates pose a risk to your organization's IT environment, or which patches should be given an urgent priority because they defend against a major security attack. Progent's experience with update management support can help you to maintain a safe computer system without sacrificing productivity.
  • Develop a patch management program: Progent's group of consultants can help in devising and managing a software update management program that fits your business requirements. Progent offers standard and specialized patch management service programs and can help with programmatic as well as manual updating. Progent can manage mission-critical resources exclusively, all updateable resources, or somewhere in between.
  • Patch testing: Even the largest networks such as Amazon AWS and Azure have experienced major outages caused by software updates that were not thoroughly tested prior to being applied to production systems. For organizations with no room for service disruption, Progent can help develop test environments that permit you to make sure that new patches will not introduce reliability problems for your network.
  • Rank and schedule updates: Progent can help you to determine which patches should be implemented quickly and which can be delayed in order to minimize business interruption. Some key industry standards, like the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard, require that the most critical security updates be installed within a defined time period.
  • Track patch history and status: Progent's regular update management programs include creating a centralized database for following the update level of every subscribed resource. This simplifies the job of finding where updates can be found and includes release dates, release notes, and other important data needed for a complete update management solution.
  • Debug patch problems: Patches to some key resources like an OS or app server can cause unforeseen compatibility or stability issues, most commonly with outdated or custom applications or older hardware. Progent has the scope of knowledge to assist you to identify and mitigate issues that may appear as a result of implementing an update.
Software Update Management for Network Appliances from Cisco and Other Providers
Software patches are frequently released for network appliances such as firewalls, routers, switches, and wireless APs. These patches usually are intended to improve security, add or fix functionality, or correct reliability issues. Managing patches for these network infrastructure devices can be a hassle, particularly in multi-vendor networks and networks that have a mixture of on-premises data centers, telecommuters, regional offices, and cloud-based assets. In addition to monitoring and accessing updates, IT managers have to verify that infrastructure appliances have sufficient disk space and that updates are transferred cleanly and work correctly.

Progent has provided high-end assistance for Cisco networking products for more than two decades and also can provide technical guidance for devices from other leading network companies including Palo Alto Networks, SonicWall, and CheckPoint. Progent's end-to-end services for software update management can assist you to consolidate your patching system to include infrastructure appliances as well as physical and virtual servers, desktop and mobile endpoints, applications, and Internet-of-Things devices.

Software Update Management Support for Network Infrastructure Devices

Progent can provide patch management expertise for network infrastructure appliances from Cisco and other vendors

Progent's Standard and Custom Patch Management Programs
Progent provides a variety of regular patch management packages that include backup, reporting, and thorough documentation. Cost is based on the type and quantity of devices enrolled. Extra support including building systems for pre-installation software update testing are invoiced at time and material rates. Custom packages are also available and usually cover unusual devices and/or applications.

PROACTIVE Server Patch Management

On Prem or Private Cloud Server: Azure Cloud Servers Patch Management:
  • Compliance scan of all Windows and Linux servers
  • Update compliance evaluation results for enabled machines
  • Scheduled Patching and Preventative Maintenance
  • License & Resource documentation and management
  • Managed Anti-Virus - Current AV system
  • Initiate server backup once scanned
  • Additional Services Billed at time and material Rates
  • IT Glue access management and asset documentation
On Premises or Virtual Workstation:
  • ProSight Availability Tracking
  • OS & 3rd Party Patch Management
  • Scheduled Patching and Maintenance Maintenance
  • Managed Anti-Virus - current AV system
  • Hosted Anti-Spam - Spam Hero
  • Additional Support Billed at T&M Rates
  • IT Glue access control and resources documentation
BASIC Server Patch Management

Managed Patch both Physical and Virtual Servers: On Premises or Virtual Workstation Patch Management: Server or Workstation Security Service-Level Agreement (SLA) - Add on service

Security Critical Patches - completed within 48 hours of Progent being notified - invoiced only when needed

PROACTIVE Network Device Patching

Internet Facing Hardware - Managed Devices (Security appliances, firewalls, routers): Internal Network Hardware - Managed devices (wireless controllers, Wi-Fi access points, switches): Network Device Security SLA - Add-on service

Security Critical Patches - applied within 48 hours of Progent being notified - invoiced only when needed

Original Patching Event Additional Costs:
First-time patching will be subject to an additional cost per server or network item to provide for review and documentation of current patch level as well as any other documentation required for effectively providing the patching services as defined above. If many patches are necessary that demand extra work for the first-time patching, Progent will provide any cost estimates above the regular update cost.

Other Services Available:

Download the Software Update Managed Services Datasheet
For a datasheet describing Progent Software Update Managed Services, click:
Progent Patch Management Services Datasheet. (PDF - 330 KB)

Talk to Progent about Patch Management Services
To find out more about Progent's patch management offerings, call Progent at 800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.



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