Come creare un calendario di patching più intelligente

IT teams need to install patches as quickly as possible in order to reduce security risks and address vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. At the same time, installing patches in the middle of the workday can interrupt employees and create unplanned downtime that could otherwise be avoided.

Given the variety of patches and updates (including OS updates, third-party applications, and urgent security patches) that are released, and the need to update remote endpoints, IT teams can struggle to keep everything up to date in a timely manner. However, with a good patching schedule, it’s easier to prioritize, test, deploy, and verify patch updates.

So, how can IT teams build a patching schedule that reduces risks without interrupting operations? Let’s explore…

What Is a Patch Schedule?

A patch schedule is the planned process for reviewing, testing, deploying, and verifying updates to ensure patches are deployed in a timely manner. A good patch schedule should include rules for timing, patch prioritization, deployment groups, reboots, exception handling, and reporting.

Note that a patching schedule isn’t just a calendar. The schedule should serve as a workflow to help IT teams determine what to patch, when, how quickly to deploy it, and how to verify its success. When done properly, a patching schedule should ensure each patch is deployed within a safe time frame but without interrupting work.

Why Patching Schedules Matter for Downtime and Risk

Of course, this begs the question: why do patch schedules matter? While promptly patching devices is important for cybersecurity and IT compliance, patching shouldn’t be an ad hoc process whenever a new one is released.

Without a good patch schedule, organizations leave themselves vulnerable to several security risks, including:

• Delayed patches leave known vulnerabilities exposed for extended periods.

• Rushed deployments without proper testing can break applications or disrupt users.

• Manual patching makes it harder to track successes and failures and is time-consuming and prone to human error.

• Unplanned reboots can interrupt important work.

• Remote or offline devices without continuous visibility can fall behind on security patches.

• Missing third-party app updates can create security gaps even when OS patching is up to date.

How to Create a Patching Schedule

With all that in mind, it’s time to start building a good patching schedule. We can break this process down into a few key steps:

Step 1: Build an Accurate Endpoint and Software Inventory

First, you’ll want to take inventory of your endpoints and the applications they use. IT teams should know which endpoints they must manage, which operating systems they use, which apps run on them, and which updates are missing.

Be sure not to overlook any systems when taking inventory. While this must include managed devices, it should also consider remote laptops, shared workstations, servers, and any devices that may frequently be offline. Additionally, it’s important to track both operating systems and third-party applications.

The inventory should include:

• Device name and owner

• Operating system and version

• Installed applications

• Patch status

• Business-critical role

• User group or department

• Online or offline status

• Reboot requirements

Step 2: Categorize Patches by Risk and Urgency

Next, prioritizing patches is important for determining which ones should be handled more urgently and which can wait. While some updates are minor performance improvements, others may be more urgent security patches.

It helps to break categories down like so:

• Routine Updates: These are the typical OS and third-party software updates, usually handled during maintenance windows. They’re best suited for planned testing and phased rollouts, as they’re important but typically not vital.

• Critical Security Updates: These are patches for high-severity vulnerabilities, such as exposed systems or security flaws in widely used software. They require faster review, shorter testing cycles, and tighter verification to ensure they can be deployed across devices quickly but securely.

• Emergency or Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities: These are the most critical updates, as they address vulnerabilities that are actively being targeted. These vulnerabilities typically require emergency processes, including fast prioritization, accelerated deployment rings, and post-deployment verification to address the threats as quickly as possible.

Step 3: Define Maintenance Windows Around Business Impact

Once you have your patches prioritized, you can set maintenance windows for them. These windows should reflect how people actually work, such as overnight patching for endpoints used during workdays. Keep in mind that these windows will vary, as always-on environments, global endpoints, and other devices will have different timing needs.

The key here is to match patch timing to device usage, role, and business criticality. It’s best to break maintenance windows into groups, including:

• Standard employee laptops

• Executive or business-critical users

• Shared workstations

• Servers or infrastructure systems

• Remote or frequently offline devices

• Test devices and IT-owned endpoints

Step 4: Use Phased Rollouts Instead of Deploying Everywhere at Once

Once you start updating endpoints, you don’t want to deploy them all at once. Instead, use a phased rollout to deploy updates gradually, allowing time for testing and verification. This reduces the risk of widespread disruption and allows IT teams to monitor failures, user reports, and other issues early on.

A recommended rollout sequence looks like this:

• An IT test group, to make sure everything works at first glance.

• A pilot group with representative devices and applications.

• Low-risk departments or device groups.

• Business-critical users and systems.

• Full deployment.

• Follow-up and remediation for offline or failed endpoints.

Step 5: Create a Standard Patch Cadence

While patch timing will vary based on prioritization, there should still be a regular cadence. Consider these frameworks based on patching needs:

• Daily or Continuous Review: IT teams should continuously monitor for new vulnerabilities or failed deployments, check endpoint health, and track critical patches that require rapid deployment.

• Weekly Patch Review: Teams should also review available OS and app updates each week. These can be prioritized by severity, exposure, and business impact, and use testing groups to ensure they’re properly deployed.

• Monthly Scheduled Patching: Routine updates can be deployed through established maintenance windows on a monthly schedule. This can use phased rollouts for a safe and smooth deployment, but IT teams should track completion, failures, and reboot status to ensure each endpoint is properly patched.

• Emergency Patch Process: When there’s an emergency patch that needs to be deployed immediately, it helps to have a process in place. This should define who approves emergency patching, identify the high-priority endpoints, enable quick testing and deployment of the update, and verify completion to ensure the patches are properly installed.

Step 6: Communicate Patch Timing and Reboot Expectations

Communication is key, as it helps set expectations and reduce avoidable disruptions. Users should know when updates will occur and whether they will require a reboot. Make sure to be clear and avoid vague warnings (like “expect a reboot sometime between 1-5”), as well as specify if an update is urgent.

Communication should include:

• Patch window date and time

• Expected user impact

• Reboot deadline

• What users should save or close

• Where to report issues

• What happens if a device is offline

Step 7: Verify Patch Success After Deployment

Once a patch is installed, you also need to verify it’s successfully deployed. Verification is vital, so IT teams can address any failures and maintain proof of patch compliance for audits.

Patch verification should include:

• Patch installation status

• Failed updates

• Pending reboots

• Devices that were offline during deployment

• Application issues after installation

• Exceptions or deferred updates

• Vulnerabilities that remain unresolved

Step 8: Document Exceptions and Improve the Schedule Over Time

Sometimes, exceptions must be made. Some devices may need to defer patches due to compatibility issues or other concerns, but these cases should be documented, time-bound, and reviewed regularly. Additionally, IT teams can use patch results to improve their deployment processes and schedules by reviewing and adjusting them, making future deployments more efficient.

Documentation should include:

• Patch completion rate

• Failure rate

• Average time to patch critical updates

• Number of endpoints pending reboot

• Number of deferred patches

• Common failure reasons

• User disruption or support tickets after patching

Example Patching Schedule for IT Teams

So, what should a patching schedule look like? While individual businesses will have different needs, we’ve created a sample schedule that you can use as a baseline for your business.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Building a Patching Schedule

However, when you’re building a patching schedule, you’ll want to watch out for some common mistakes. These simple errors can lead to delayed patches, missed critical updates, or devices left otherwise exposed, so it’s vital to be aware.

Common mistakes include:

• Treating all patches with the same urgency rather than prioritizing by severity.

• Waiting for a monthly cycle to address critical vulnerabilities, instead of patching them immediately.

• Patching every endpoint at once, rather than using staged rollouts, which can result in widespread errors that could have otherwise been addressed early.

• Ignoring third-party applications, thus leaving them exposed.

• Skipping post-deployment verification, which can result in failed updates left exposed.

• Relying on manual checks, which is time-consuming and prone to human error.

• Failing to plan for reboots, which can result in updates left unfinished for far too long.

• Leaving exceptions open indefinitely, rather than addressing them when possible.

• Scheduling patches without knowing endpoint status.

How Splashtop AEM Helps Streamline Patch Scheduling

Patching becomes more manageable when IT teams have clear endpoint visibility, automation, and a repeatable process for tracking deployment results. With the right endpoint management tools, teams can streamline patch scheduling and deployment across remote and distributed endpoints.

Splashtop AEM (Autonomous Endpoint Management) is just such a solution, bringing robust patch management and automation to businesses and their IT teams. With Splashtop AEM, IT teams can view patch status across managed devices, manage updates, and set policies that help deploy patches more consistently.

Splashtop AEM provides:

Centralized Patch and Endpoint Visibility

With Splashtop AEM, IT teams can see endpoint statuses, available updates, and software inventory across endpoints, all from a single interface. Splashtop AEM’s dashboard provides clear visibility and insights into endpoints, including patch progress and status for every update.

Policy-Based Patch Automation

IT teams can use Splashtop AEM to automate patch deployment based on company policy, including device groups, deployment timing, and rollout needs. This reduces repetitive manual work and helps teams manage updates more consistently across their environment.

Support for OS and Third-Party App Patching

While some patching processes focus mainly on operating systems, Splashtop AEM helps teams manage updates for OS and supported third-party applications. This helps reduce security gaps caused by outdated applications, especially when third-party updates are managed separately from OS patching.

Real-Time Status and Faster Follow-Up

Splashtop AEM provides real-time visibility into endpoints across an environment, helping teams identify failed patches, pending reboots, and devices that need follow-up. This helps IT teams respond more quickly, ensuring that all devices are covered and addressed promptly.

Remote Support and Remediation in the Same Platform

In addition to Splashtop AEM’s remote monitoring and management, Splashtop also empowers users to access remote devices for remote support and troubleshooting. IT teams can use Splashtop’s remote access capabilities to directly manage devices from anywhere, helping them investigate and troubleshoot endpoints without switching between disconnected tools.

Make Patch Scheduling More Predictable

With a good patching schedule, IT teams can ensure updates are deployed at a steady pace and within a good timeframe, thus reducing risk without adding unnecessary downtime. Creating an effective schedule requires a combination of visibility, prioritization, phased rollouts, clear maintenance windows, and verification, while maintaining a dedication to continuous improvement.

If you want a more efficient way to manage patching across distributed endpoints, Splashtop AEM can help. Splashtop AEM provides endpoint visibility, policy-based automation, patch tracking, and remote remediation tools to help IT teams reduce exposure, follow up on failed updates, and support audit readiness.

Ready to see how Splashtop AEM can simplify patch management? Get started today with a free trial.