Online Security: Find out ways to secure browsing in the enterprise via Holistic Patch Management

This is Connectikpeople series in partnership with csoonline,is aiming to help you  improve your security online step by step. Today, we focus on Patch management

Patch management is nothing new, but it's rarely done in a holistic, all-encompassing way. Most organizations do a great job of patching core operating systems but sometimes neglect associated core Web technologies such as Adobe Flash and Reader, Apple Quicktime, and Java. Holistic patch management addresses the entire desktop of native and third-party applications, including the browser and all its associated plug-ins, in a comprehensive way.

As if the complexity of the desktop isn't enough, consumerization (the effort of many users to bring their own device into the enterprise) introduces new perils in both patch management and security. Whether it's the executive who wants to use a shiny new tablet with known unpatched vulnerabilities or the user who wants to use a smartphone running an ancient and exploitable browser, patches must be kept up to date. A coherent, holistic effort to patch is helpful in defending against a multitude of known vulnerabilities. Obviously it isn't a panacea nothing is and you can't fix zero-day vulnerabilities, but by addressing what you can, you'll reduce your risks and costs.