The Power of Patching

We’ve all had this moment. While working diligently, a little box appears on the corner of our screen letting us know it’s time for an update. We reflexively select “remind me later” and continue our work. Eventually, a pop up lets us know that Windows is going to update, whether we like it or not.

Although, pop ups and automatic updates can cause frustration, they’re not to be ignored. Updates provide software patches that help protect computers from being exposed to malware and viruses.

So, what exactly are these patches?

Patching is the periodic process of updating software code to fix potential issues that come up after a software’s release. Think of it in terms of a pair of jeans. When you rip a hole in your jeans, you have three options:

  1. Leave them ripped and risk exposing your body to whatever the jeans would have protected you from.
  2. Buy a new pair of jeans.
  3. Patch the hole as a semi-permanent fix until a new patch is put on or there’s enough reason to replace the entire pair of jeans.

Software patches work the same way – they’re a way for flaws in software to be fixed to protect you from malicious danger, until a new patch or version is released. The timing is often inconvenient, but as soon as a developer is aware of an issue, they put out patches as soon as possible.

IT providers are able to use patch management software to proactively scan for patches that are needed, and apply them during business down time. Take heed, and apply any updates as soon as possible.

Contact Nextrio today at (520) 519-6301 or visit us online for more information on help with patch management.