Just a few years ago, all we had to help us with Windows update management was a list of available patches on Microsoft's Web site. Today, our patch-management options range from free Microsoft products such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to full-blown patch management solutions. But even with all these options, many small and midsized businesses (SMBs) fail to implement an update management plan.
Back in 2000, just trying to determine which hotfixes you needed to install was difficult. You could search the list of security bulletins only by year and product, and even then it was easy to miss some fixes. Today, users don't have to put much thought into patch management if they don't want to--they can simply enable Automatic Updates, which does almost everything for them. But Automatic Updates gives little control to network administrators, wastes bandwidth, and can sometimes cause problems with critical servers for which uptime is vital.
A patch management plan helps you better utilize network resources and ensure a smooth, consistent update process for your organization. I've put together a one-size-fits-all patch management plan that you can easily implement by using Microsoft's free WSUS. All you need is a server and an administrator who can dedicate a few hours a week to patch management. Because Microsoft typically releases patches on the second Tuesday of each month, I've built the plan around that schedule. . . .
