When you have a large endpoint ecosystem to manage, keeping each device and application up to date can be a challenge. Not only can it be a challenge to update multiple endpoints, especially remote devices and endpoints in a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environment, but a single failed update can disrupt business and leave vulnerabilities exposed.
That’s where ring-based deployments come in. These introduce patches in controlled phases, starting with a small number of devices and slowly growing, to monitor for unexpected issues and minimize downtime while rolling out updates.
So, let’s explore the value of ring-based deployments, why IT teams use them, and how Splashtop AEM makes it easy to roll out patches in rings.
What is a Ring-Based Deployment?
A ring-based deployment is a phased rollout of patches or updates across endpoint groups. This empowers IT teams to test and monitor updates as they’re deployed, so if there's a problem or compatibility issue with the patch, they can identify it and roll back the update before it impacts too many devices.
Typically, ring-based deployments follow a few simple stages. First is the Pilot Group, where only a small number of devices are updated to identify immediate issues. After that, the “ring” of updated devices widens into a departmental rollout, where more devices across select departments are updated. If all goes well, it expands to a full production deployment and the patch is widely deployed.
If, at any step along the way, the update leads to unforeseen issues, they can be analyzed and addressed before any further device updates. As a result, IT teams can minimize the business impact of any updates that cause unexpected problems.
Why Ring-Based Deployments Matter
One of the first things people might notice about ring-based deployment is: it’s a slow process, requiring testing and staggered rollouts. Yet prompt patching and frequent updates are also major cybersecurity requirements, so a slower update seems at odds with that.
However, ring-based deployment is essential for ensuring an effective and secure rollout. Deploying too many updates at once can lead to significant setbacks and downtime if the updates create any unexpected issues, so thorough testing is key.
There are multiple benefits to ring-based deployment, including:
Risk Mitigation: Rolling out updates in smaller, isolated groups prevents one bad patch from impacting your entire workforce.
Business Continuity: Ring-based deployment helps keep critical systems stable by testing updates on non-critical devices first.
Operational Confidence: Uncertainty and a lack of trust can lead to delayed updates, which leave devices vulnerable. You can build trust in your IT processes by showing careful control and the ability to manage unforeseen update issues.
Compliance: IT compliance audits often require proof that endpoints and applications are fully patched and that patches are rolled out carefully. Using ring-based deployment demonstrates a documented, staged rollout to auditors.
Best Practices for Ring-Based Deployments
However, ring-based deployment takes more than just updating a few devices, checking to see if anything goes wrong, and then updating the rest. It’s a process that requires monitoring, testing, and careful, measured deployments. Following these patch deployment best practices will help ensure an effective and seamless ring-based deployment:
1. Start with a Pilot Group
The first testing ring is the most important, as it’s your earliest opportunity to spot and address potential issues. As such, it’s important to choose a small but diverse set of test devices for the greatest variety of tests. This should include different operating systems, hardware, and applications to identify potential compatibility issues or other interactions that cause problems.
Once you validate patch compatibility across each device, you can move on to a larger deployment ring.
2. Expand to Mid-Tier Groups
After your pilot group determines the patch works well with a wide range of hardware and software, you can expand the ring to encompass specific departments or regions. This is a larger testing environment on devices that’ll be actively used, so it’s important to monitor logs closely for failed patches, application issues, or performance degradation.
If the mid-tier groups go smoothly, that’s a good sign that the patch is ready for a wider deployment.
3. Monitor & Validate Before Scaling
Of course, a ring-based deployment is meaningless if you’re not monitoring each ring. Every time you roll out patches to each ring, you need to watch for any issues and confirm the patch success rate. Using a solution with a dashboard that provides insights into patch statuses, like Splashtop AEM, will help here, as it makes it easy to monitor endpoints and their patches.
If you detect any issues, they should be immediately addressed before the patching advances to the next ring. This includes identifying the cause of the problem, finding ways to remediate it, and rolling back the update if necessary. This may also require delaying patching on certain devices, depending on the cause of the issue.
4. Complete Organization-Wide Rollout
Once you’ve thoroughly tested and monitored each ring to confirm stability and ensure the patch can be installed without issues, it’s time for a full rollout. You can start deploying the patch to all remaining devices, including remote endpoints.
However, this doesn’t mean you can stop monitoring. Keep an eye on the patch status for each device, and be sure to document your successes and failures for audits. This will help ensure that each device is properly patched and keep a record when it’s time to verify IT compliance.
How Splashtop AEM Supports Ring-Based Deployments
When you want to deploy and manage patches across multiple endpoints and distributed environments, you need a powerful and robust endpoint management solution that provides control over and insight into all your patches. Splashtop AEM (Autonomous Endpoint Management) is that solution.
Splashtop AEM provides security and control over all your endpoints, including the ability to automate routine tasks and automatically deploy patches across distributed environments. Its single-pane dashboard gives you oversight of and insight into all your endpoints, including patch statuses, inventory reporting, and customizable policy frameworks.
Additionally, Splashtop AEM keeps remote devices safe with proactive alerts and remediation to quickly identify problems and fix them with smart actions. It provides CVE insights that use CVSS and CISA KEV data to help prioritize risks and guide remediation, keeping your endpoints and network secure.
When you need to deploy patches, Splashtop AEM supports automated patch management and ring-based deployments, with features such as:
Policy-Based Controls: Group devices by department, region, or environment type, then customize phased rollout policies for each group.
Real-Time Visibility: Track patch success and failures across rings to ensure each device is properly updated.
Remediation & Rollback: Trigger smart actions, such as a reboot or rollback, if a patch fails.
Cross-Platform Support: Apply staged rollouts across operating systems (including Windows and macOS) and third-party applications.
Compliance Reporting: Export audit-ready data and logs to demonstrate staged rollout processes during audits.
Patch deployment should ensure every device is secure and up to date, so updating your devices shouldn’t be a gamble. With ring-based strategies, IT teams can minimize risk and maximize stability, ensuring patches work properly before deploying them across endpoints. With Splashtop AEM, you can combine patch automation, inventory visibility, and policy-based rollouts to ensure each update goes smoothly.
Adopt ring-based deployments and reduce IT risk with Splashtop AEM today with a free trial.
