What is a Patch?

A patch is a set of modifications that mean to update, repair or improve the computer program or its corresponding data. Patches are a key component of software support and lifecycle.

Patches have two main purposes:

Bug Fixes: Patches are frequently utilized to fix particular problems or bugs that stop the program from functioning properly or produce undesirable behavior.
Security Updates: They are usually used to fix security vulnerabilities and prevent cyber threats.
Patches can be manually applied by a programmer using an editor or a debugger or automatically by the software through a software update process. They can be permanent measures or short-term interventions.

What is Windows Patch Management?

Windows patch management is the organization of a system process targeting preserving systems from possible malware infections and network security threats by installing updates supplied by Microsoft.

Once identified, these patches undergo compliance to determine the patches’ relevance while trying to gauge their possible impact on a computer system’s overall functionality.

This analysis features specifying if the patches mitigate or fix critical security issues, fix bugs, or introduce new features. Subsequent to assessment, patches are under test in a controlled environment to undergo elimination of issues related to deployment that can be unexpected.

The acquired patches are then deployed to real systems, like manually installed and fully patched using group policy-based deployment or automation systems.

Understand the Types, Process, Policy, and Benefits of Managing Windows Patches