Patch automation is a powerful tool for improving cybersecurity and IT efficiency, enabling IT teams to keep devices up to date and secure without manually updating each device. Yet those benefits are hard to show on a budget sheet.
So, how can IT leaders evaluate the ROI of patch automation that reflects real IT operations? Rather than viewing ROI solely in financial terms, we need to consider the time saved, disruptions prevented, and the improved risk-reduction automation can deliver.
With that in mind, let’s look at the ROI of patch automation, where its benefits come from, and the hidden costs of manual patch management.
What ROI really means for patch automation in IT operations
The return on investment isn’t just about increased profits or reduced headcount, but about improved operational efficiency and reduced costly interruptions.
Patch automation is a significant time-saver, freeing IT agents from hours of manual endpoint patching. This time can then be used to focus on higher-value work, such as supporting employees with critical issues or other priority projects. Additionally, patch automation reduces disruptions that would otherwise slow down productivity and user support.
Additionally, patch automation enables faster, more effective patch coverage, reducing exposure windows and improving overall cybersecurity. As a result, employees across the company will be able to work more efficiently and securely, while IT teams will have less emergency work to deal with.
This also helps reduce business risk and supports compliance efforts, since many industry and government regulations expect organizations to keep devices reasonably secure and up to date.
The 3 patch automation ROI buckets that matter most
We can measure the ROI of automated patch management by examining three distinct “buckets.” Each provides important efficiency and security gains that deliver tangible value to the business.
ROI bucket 1: Time reclaimed from repetitive patching
First, there’s the time saved. Manually patching endpoints and applications is a repetitive, time-consuming process that requires IT agents to build patch lists, locate devices, schedule updates, coordinate reboots, and more. If a patch fails to install, agents must then spend additional time fixing the failures and rerunning patch deployments.
Patch automation reduces manual steps by scheduling and deploying patches across endpoints in accordance with your internal policies. If a patch fails, an automation tool should quickly surface the failure and support remediation and redeployment, so IT does not have to troubleshoot device by device. This leads to more efficient patch deployment and fewer urgent patching efforts when new updates are released.
What to measure:
Hours per week spent on patching tasks across IT, measured across the department (not per person).
Manual touchpoints per patch cycle, such as emails, tickets, checklists, and coordination meetings.
Time from “patch released” to “deployment complete” for your standard device groups.
ROI bucket 2: Fewer support tickets and less end-user disruption
One metric you can measure is the number of support tickets you receive during a patch deployment. Controlled rollouts can improve testing, detect issues before they become widespread, and provide better visibility into failures. This reduces both the number of failures and the time to fix them, resulting in less disruption and fewer support tickets.
What to measure:
Patch-related tickets, tracked per month or per patch cycle.
Incidents caused by failed patches, tracked as counts so you can compare before vs after.
Average time to resolve patch-related issues, so you can see whether failures are getting easier to fix.
ROI bucket 3: Less time proving patch status and compliance
Patch automation can speed up more than just the patch process; good automation can also make it easier to prove patch status and IT compliance during audits. Without automated patching, reporting can be a major time sink, as the data can be scattered and must be manually gathered. Patch automation enables IT to gather the information they need without manually stitching data together from multiple places.
What to measure:
Time spent compiling patch status reports each month, before vs after automation.
Time to answer “are we patched against X?” for a specific CVE or urgent update.
Time required to prepare evidence for audits or security reviews.
Manual patching creates hidden costs
The real cost of patching doesn’t always show up in your expense reports. Manual patching incurs hidden costs that can add up to unexpected expenses, particularly due to wasted time and resources.
Any time IT agents spend manually patching is time they can’t spend on other work, such as resolving tickets, onboarding new employees, and managing endpoint requests. If a patch fails to install properly, it creates a second wave of work as agents attempt to remediate the issue and reinstall the patch.
Additionally, patching third-party applications can add additional work. Many businesses use patching tools that work on operating systems, but not apps. This means that agents need to focus on more products and more patch deployments, which can take even more time.
Even reporting can take up valuable time and resources. Creating reports takes time from senior staff, since they’re the ones with the knowledge and insights to confidently answer questions and provide the accurate, detailed information the reports need. With automated patch management, they can generate reports more quickly, allowing agents to put their expertise to better use.
The simplest way to validate ROI: run a 30-day patch automation pilot
If you’re unsure about patch management, the easiest way to understand its benefits and ROI improvements is to try it for yourself. Running a free trial of patch management software can help your IT team understand how it works, implement it, and see the benefits in action, so you can decide if it’s a worthwhile investment for your organization.
When running an automation pilot, keep the following suggestions in mind:
1. Pick a pilot scope that mirrors reality (but stays safe)
When you perform a test run, you don’t want to deploy it across your entire organization, but you still want a healthy test size. Start with 200 to 500 endpoints, or one business unit, depending on your organization's size, and include a mix of easy- and difficult-to-manage devices.
From there, you can see how easy it is to deploy patches across those devices, compared to other endpoints on your network. If you need patch management for third-party applications as well, make sure that those are included on the devices you’re testing.
2. Define “success” using a one-page ROI scorecard
Patch management ROI isn’t measured in dollars; it's defined by improvements, so you’ll want to track metrics to identify them. This includes the hours spent on patching (before and after) and the overall speed at which you can reach your target coverage.
Be sure to track your failures as well as your successes. If a patch doesn’t install properly, how many retries does it take to resolve the issue, and how long does it take? Similarly, track your patch-related tickets, both in terms of how many you receive and how quickly they can be resolved.
Additionally, consider the time required to create reports for IT audits and to respond to urgent patch questions. Reports can be just as time-consuming as the patching itself, so faster reporting can save valuable time.
3. Track only what you can capture without extra tooling
Tracking these metrics should not require extra analytics tools. Rough time logs for patching tasks are sufficient for tracking time improvements, and ticketing systems can identify the number of tickets they receive tagged with patch-related issues.
A short weekly note should be sufficient to illustrate what work automation eliminated each week. Just by following this data and seeing the changes over time, you’ll be able to identify how automation can improve your patch management.
What to look for in an automated patch solution
So, what should you try to find in an automated patch management solution? There are several must-have features that are necessary to ensure effective patch management and deployment, and without them, you won’t be able to gain the most ROI benefits.
When evaluating patch management software, look for the following:
Automation and scheduling controls: these allow you to manage when your patch updates are deployed, thus ensuring you get the most time back for your IT teams.
Staged rollouts: deploying patches in rings or other stages reduces disruption and failures, making it easier to identify and resolve issues while still rolling out updates steadily.
Clear visibility into patch failures and remediation: having insights into your patch failures and a remediation workflow reduces repeat work and tickets, enabling issues to be identified and addressed quickly.
Third-party patch coverage: Third-party patch coverage: a good patch management solution should cover OS patches and the key third-party applications your organization relies on, so app patching does not become a separate manual workflow.
Comprehensive reporting: patch automation tools should include reports that explain what’s missing, where it's missing, and why. This reduces reporting hours and makes it easier for teams to gather reports during an audit.
How Splashtop AEM supports ROI for patch automation
Splashtop AEM (Autonomous Endpoint Management) is an AI-assisted endpoint management solution designed to help IT teams streamline patching and reduce manual workloads. Splashtop AEM helps IT teams automate OS and third-party patching, use CVE insights to prioritize remediation, and maintain visibility into patch status and vulnerabilities across endpoints.
Splashtop AEM helps IT teams improve their ROI in several ways, including:
1. Reclaim time by automating patch workflows
Patch automation with Splashtop AEM makes it easy to deploy patches across large and remote environments without requiring significant time investments. It reduces the manual steps IT agents must take and helps reduce repeat work from failed patch installations, enabling them to focus on higher-priority tasks.
2. Reduce disruptions with controlled rollout and better failure handling
Splashtop AEM is designed for efficient, reliable patch management. It supports controlled rollouts to steadily update devices in stages and reduce disruption, while providing clearer visibility into results so issues can be identified and addressed faster. Additionally, Splashtop AEM provides visibility into endpoints and their patch statuses, enabling quick identification and remediation of issues.
3. Make patch status easier to prove
Splashtop AEM includes detailed patch reporting, making it easier to demonstrate patch status for audits and security reviews and answer patch compliance questions. Reports are based on current inventory and patch status data, including what endpoints are updated, what is pending, and what issues occurred during deployment.
ROI recap for IT leaders
Patch management can deliver significant ROI, but it shouldn’t be measured solely by cost. The ROI of automated patch management comes from the time reclaimed, reduced disruptions, and easier audit proof. For many IT teams, these benefits can add up quickly, especially when validated in a short pilot and then expanded across more devices and applications.
When you measure your metrics before and after deploying patch automation software, you’ll be able to clearly see improvements over the course of a test run. With a solution like Splashtop AEM, you’ll be able to save time spent manually managing patches, ensure efficient deployments, and be able to prove security compliance as needed.
Ready to make patch management fast and simple? Get started with a free trial of Splashtop AEM today and see its impact on your endpoints.
