Establish a patch management policy

Patch management is an issue that will always plague your organization's network. There will always be patches, updates, and security fixes to apply. Unfortunately, there will not always be unlimited time to evaluate and distribute fixes to close a security hole that attackers are currently exploiting.

Given the current state of security, patch management can easily become overwhelming. That's why it's a good idea to establish a patch management policy to define the necessary procedures and responsibilities.
Usually, I would discuss the components of a patch management policy and go over what such a policy needs to address, but this time I want to do something different. Rather than talking about which potential issues a policy should cover, let's look at a sample policy you can adapt to fit your organization's needs.