Software patches are fixes that are released by software vendors. Patches generally fall into one of three categories: patches that improve functionality, patches that repair or restore functionality, and patches that repair vulnerabilities. Understand why companies install patches, how they choose which patches to install and the due diligence that needs to be performed before patch installation.

Reasons for Installing Patches

Info-Tech recently performed a study of software patching. It revealed security vulnerabilities are the main reason companies patch software. Figure 1 reinforces the idea that the security of companies' IT systems is always on IT's front burner. Patches meant to improve or enhance software functionality are probably installed less frequently than security patches because not all of these patches may be necessary for companies; if a company does not use a particular function of a software program then it is not necessary to install patches meant to enhance its performance.