Your guide to third-party patch management

If you manage a network of growing devices, you know firsthand how patching can spiral into an absolute nightmare. While patch management can feel tedious and unnecessary to the average employee, in the IT world, we know that neglecting it can bring severe consequences. 

According to Gartner, 45% of organizations experienced third-party-related security breaches that disrupted business operations. As the cost of cybersecurity breaches continues to rise, it’s crucial for organizations across all verticals to consider the risks of skimping on third-party patch management.  

That’s why using third-party patching software has become increasingly popular and important for IT teams to maintain a proactive security stance. 

Today, we’ll take a closer look at third-party application patch management, why IT teams struggle with this responsibility, and what solutions can help make third-party patching simpler, more effective, and more sustainable. 

What is third-party patching?

In short, third-party patching refers to applying “patches” (code changes via software updates) issued by application manufacturers to third-party applications. These code changes are made to address potential vulnerabilities as soon as they are discovered. When the patches are applied, hackers and bad actors no longer have inroads to sensitive data and other information contained within third-party applications. 

When applications are first released, they go through an especially vulnerable period as flaws and issues may not yet have been discovered. It’s important to apply patches as soon as you find out about them, ideally within 15 to 30 days (or sooner for extremely sensitive issues). Third-party application patch management is essential to reduce vulnerabilities that are not automatically handled by OS updates. 

What qualifies as a third-party application? 

Let’s back up a second. Before we can understand third-party patching, we need to understand what a third-party application is. This simply means an application that did not natively come with your device. It was developed by a different party than the one that manufactured your device. For instance, Microsoft applications like Word or Excel are first-party apps on a Microsoft OS, but they are third-party apps on an Apple OS. 

How patches help close security gaps

Although third-party apps are not native to your OS, their creators often put out software updates. Because the application is not part of your OS, these software updates need to be applied separately – in a nutshell, this is third-party application patching. By installing these third-party patches in a timely manner, you can reduce security risks to your organization. 

Key challenges in managing third-party patches

Neglecting third-party patching can lead to a host of security and functionality issues, but there are also a number of obstacles that IT teams face in implementing these patches. These obstacles include… 

• Volume: In our modern world, we have more and more technology and thus more and more third-party applications. With so many apps to keep track of, it is easy to miss a patch if you are handling third-party application patching manually. 
• Visibility: According to PatentPC, the average time to patch a critical vulnerability is 102 days. Why? Sometimes, companies and IT teams do not realize a patch is available. 
• Delays: Sometimes, even though a vendor knows there is an issue in a third-party application, a patch has not been released yet. Some automated patch management solutions can let your team know when a patch is available.  
• Compatibility: It’s important to make sure that patches mesh with your existing IT environment and do not throw a wrench in your existing processes. 
• Human error: Of course, humans make mistakes! But when it comes to third-party application patching, it’s not worth the risk. Now, there are many automated patch management tools that can help your team handle the workload and reduce error.
  

How AI is revolutionizing patch management

Instead of struggling with the challenges listed above, IT teams that use AI third-party patching tools are seeing a complete overhaul in their patch management strategies. Automating your third-party patch management processes is crucial in bringing your team into the modern world and reducing mundane work. Let’s take a look at how artificial intelligence, or AI, is revolutionizing patch management. 

Detection and prioritization

AI patch management tools can quickly identify outdated third-party applications in your network. How? These tools scan all of your devices for known vulnerabilities that are associated with outdated versions of software. Today’s third-party patch management software can even prioritize which issues to patch first, aligning with your organization’s goals and risks. 

Intelligent remediation

After AI systems detect critical vulnerabilities, they can take action quickly to rectify the problem before it gets exploited by malicious entities. Automated AI tools monitor find out which patches are available and immediately apply them upon release, meaning that malevolent actors have no time to swoop in and take advantage of delays and issues caused by human error. 

Real-time learning and reporting

Autonomous AI, which is the latest frontier in artificial intelligence, is all about real-time learning and reconfiguration. These tools can learn from their experiences and from feedback, meaning they are constantly honing their skills. AI patch management tools can also provide impressive reporting in real time so that you can easily understand your IT environment’s wellness both from a bird’s-eye view and in a granular sense. 

Image via Spiceworks

Using autonomous AI for seamless patching

Luckily, you do not need to tackle third-party patch management alone: Atera is here to help. We’ve built two powerful Autonomous AI tools that are perfectly poised to overhaul your company’s third-party patching strategies.

AI Copilot – smart ticket triage, automated scripting, and more

Atera’s AI Copilot helps manage the load of ticketing and scripting, giving IT technicians back 13 hours each week (on average). You can think of Copilot as your extra set of highly-skilled hands, learning and working right alongside you. 

With its smart ticket triage abilities, it can respond to issues in the moment, reducing overwhelming ticket volume and helping users achieve faster resolutions, ultimately leading to higher satisfaction ratings. With Copilot, the possibilities are endless. 

Image via Atera

Robin – end-to-end automation at scale

An AI agent built for IT teams trying to automate at scale, Atera’s Robin was designed to handle IT requests and manage routine tasks all on its own. You can think of it like another teammate, albeit one who is available around the clock, never sleeps, and processes vast quantities of data in just seconds. 

Autopilot proactively detects and addresses potential issues before they impact your organization’s workflows. Here are some of the tool’s core patching solutions: 

• Continual network monitoring
• Proactive problem anticipation
• Personable, actionable, data-driven insights in real time
• Accurate, real-time solutions
• Whitelisted software management
• Diagnosing and resolving issues independently with helpdesk integration
• And so much more! 

Atera’s patch management dashboard (Image via Atera)

Best practices for third-party application patch management

There are some universal, tactical takeaways that can help you better achieve effective third-party patching. Streamlining and securing your digital environment starts with creating a comprehensive third-party application patching plan. Here are some steps to get started.

Build a centralized patching strategy

You need a coherent roadmap to effectively manage application patching. It looks a bit like this: 

• Identify and inventory all software being used across your organization
• Stay proactive about patches
• Establish a risk-based priority system
• Create a centralized patch management system
• Manage compliance requirements and regulatory standards
• Consider automation and AI tools to help you achieve robust patch management

Test before you deploy

As you work toward a more robust thid-party patch management strategy, it is important to keep testing in mind. Before deploying a patch, test it out in a sandboxed environment to make sure it is compatible with your systems and will not throw existing workflows into chaos. 

Monitor and report continuously

Staying vigilant about monitoring and reporting is the key to effective patch management. You will need to: 

• Track installed patches
• Identify unpatched solutions
• Deploy updates at scale
• Evaluate effectiveness after implementation
• Engage in root cause analysis

Patch smarter, not harder

When it comes to third-party patching, automation is the crux of every good solution. With automated patch management tools that are powered by AI, like our suite of options at Atera, you can ensure your company maintains a strong security posture and that your department is not bogged down in endless manual labor to discover vulnerabilities, find new patches, and implement the solutions. Instead, let AI ease the load. 

Want to see the impact of AI in patch management for yourself? Try Atera’s patch management solutions free for 30 days, no credit card required. Reach out to our sales team for a demo.