Patch the systems: A simple task or not?
Conclusions: Patching systems is regularly touted as the panacea for security breaches, yet many organisations continue to struggle with that seemingly simple process. There is obviously more to the problem than just buying and deploying a patch management system.
Most organisations are well-intentioned; it is not that they do not want to patch. As one delves deeper into the tasks around patching, it soon becomes clear that many unintentional, and some intentional, roadblocks exist in almost every organisation.
This note attempts to sort through some of those roadblocks and offer some approaches to diminish their impact. Some resources are identified to help with the design and build of a patch service. There is a real dearth of well-structured information around the patching process overall.
About The Advisor
Peter Sandilands
Peter Sandilands is an IBRS advisor who specialises in cyber security, risk and compliance. Peter has over 40 years’ experience in the IT industry with the last 20 years focused on security. He has spoken at conferences and industry briefings across Asia Pacific. Peter was instrumental in the introduction of Check Point Software to Australia, leading the operation for five years. Prior to that Peter was a key strategist in the broadening of Novell’s market across Asia Pacific. Since then he has spent nearly 10 years working for large Australian companies in banking, mining and transport delivering security strategy, security architecture and compliance assessments. Peter has also assisted overseas security vendors enter the Australian market with a focus on the strategic use of the products. As a casual academic at UTS for over 20 years, Peter lectured in network security, Cloud security and networking technologies. With his experience across vendors, channel and business, Peter brings a pragmatic approach to implementing and assessing cyber security. Peter has a Master's of Cyber Security from Charles Sturt University.