Key Points
- Patch management is the process of tracking, deploying, and testing patches as part of IT and infrastructure maintenance.
- The right patch management tool depends on your needs; however, always consider a tool’s core features, ease of deployment, integration capabilities, automation capabilities, and reporting features.
- With the right tool, MSPs and IT teams can streamline their processes and minimize the risk of human error.
- Patching also helps organizations remain compliant with security standards, maintain productivity, ensure eligibility for relevant warranties and services, and stay on top of important software updates.
Understanding the impact of patch management is key to knowing how to choose a patch management solution. In this article, we’ll discuss the features and functionality of patch management software and how to choose a tool that will work for your particular use case.
Choosing the best patch management solution
To choose a patch management solution, you’ll also need to examine the specifics of a tool. In this section, we discuss key considerations when choosing a patch tool:
Patch scanning and vulnerability discovery
Focus on tools that automatically scan your IT environment for systems that need patches, match available patches to the correct systems, and detect when patches were not installed or contain errors.
How NinjaOne helps: Automatic discovery and vulnerability checking for nearly every system in common use. Get complete insight into your entire IT environment in minutes.
Compatibility and integration
The best patch management tools will be compatible with a wide variety of systems and configurations. A tool that can’t manage patches for different operating systems, applications, infrastructure, and devices could lead to missed updates, risk, and a need for manual intervention.
How NinjaOne helps: Automated patching for Windows and third-party software from over 120 vendors.
Automation
Your patch management software should allow you to automate as much of the patch discovery, scheduling, testing, and deployment process as possible.
How NinjaOne helps: Easily configure patch scanning and update schedules for specific segments of devices or users. Take full control over patching or allow the automation to handle it entirely.
Testing
For added stability, your patch management solution should offer the ability to test patch installation within a testing environment before it’s taken live. Doing a dry run before deploying patches to production systems ensures that there will be no conflicts or errors that would otherwise lead to downtime or larger problems.
How NinjaOne helps: Patch testing is handled seamlessly by NinjaOne and helps to ensure compatibility of all updates before they’re deployed to the live environment.
Intuitive administration
Patch management tools should be easy to operate using a single, user-friendly interface. Customization is useful as well, and the ability to tailor the user experience to your needs is a bonus.
How NinjaOne helps: Spend less time combing through new update releases and vulnerability disclosures and more time growing your business.
Reporting and notifications
Keeping track of past updates is an important part of patch management. A patch management solution should allow you to generate reports on patch status and vulnerabilities. Look for the option to create custom reports, automated notifications, and audits specific to any regulations that apply to your business.
How NinjaOne helps: Access detailed patch audit reports and view patch management status in real time.
Ease of deployment
Look for a tool that offers fast and easy installation that minimizes system downtime during the process.
How NinjaOne helps: Installs quickly and without interruptions. Auto-discovery of hardware and software makes deployment simple.
Vendor support
While we hope you never have to call for help with your patch management solution, it’s important to know that support is available if you need it. Choose a tool supported by a well-known and trustworthy vendor, and check to see if the product has a large user base that can also help out when needed.
How NinjaOne helps: Ninja sets the standard for fast and friendly after-sales support, whether you’re an enterprise or a large IT provider with many clients to serve.
RMM tool integration
Patch management functionality is often part of a remote monitoring and management (RMM) suite. If you choose to use separate products, it’s important that they integrate to make patching as efficient as possible.
How NinjaOne helps: NinjaOne is fully integrated with all of the patch management power you need to keep your IT running smoothly.
The importance of patch management: Why is finding a reliable patch tool important?
A good, reliable patch tool makes all the difference by streamlining the process and minimizing the risk of human error. These tools typically employ a few different helpful functions:
- Maintaining a current and accurate database of updates to ensure no important patches are missed
- Alerting users of new updates and important security patches
- Employing automation and/or scripting for efficiency and ease of use
- Informing the IT team about out-of-date software still being used within their environment
- Producing audit reports and real-time insights to keep the patching process transparent
What is the best patch management solution in 2025?
Patch management tools come with different selling points. Finding the best solution depends on your needs and preferences. NinjaOne Patch Management, for instance, enables remote tracking for all types of operating systems across your environment and provides actionable, comprehensive patch compliance reports.
To compare the different patch management tools, check out our article on the Best Patch Management Software for MSPs & IT in 2025.
Knowing the best practices is only half the battle. To make your patch management strategy truly effective, check out our video on Patch Management Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.
How do patch management solutions help IT operations?
The main goal of patch management software is to streamline the patching process and automate it as much as possible. There are many reasons why an IT department benefits from patch management automation, including:
Tighter security
When you take control of patch management, you give yourself a huge advantage in the battle against hackers and cyber threats. Effective patch management guards your network against the numerous vulnerabilities malicious actors exploit to infiltrate a network.
Patch automation deploys new software updates quickly before cybercriminals exploit any newly discovered flaws in software or firmware.
Efficiency
Manual patch management? That means the IT staff must track, download, deploy, test, and document all patches. On every device in the IT environment. Constantly.
Automation tools take that burden off the engineers and techs and free them up for more important or productive tasks.
Productivity
System failures and cyberattacks bring productivity to a halt. Timely patching reduces the likelihood of instability and malware intrusion and serves to maintain a stable overall IT environment.
Usability
Some patches are issued to unlock new features in software rather than patch a security issue. In these cases, updating is a matter of getting the full benefit of your technology.
There are other cases where an update is needed to maintain the full functionality of the software, often because changes in other applications or the OS create conflicts that need to be patched.
Regulations
More policies require organizations to apply the latest patches to avoid cyberattacks and maintain compliance. Noncompliance will typically result in fines and legal penalties, which can be even worse if an actual cyberattack takes place.
Patch automation tools can ensure timely deployment as well as provide the reports, audits, and other documentation needed to show compliance.
Warranties and service
Just like never changing the oil in a car will void its warranty, software, and hardware providers will often refuse to honor guarantees when users fail to keep up with patches. Failure to keep software patched will also make it hard (or impossible) to get paid out by cybersecurity insurance policies.
Insight
Patch management tools keep the IT department apprised of important information regarding the IT environment. For example, they will be notified if the software by the organization falls out of service life and will no longer be supported.
Strengthen your patch management process with the correct solution for you
The importance of patch management can’t be overstated. Far too many cyber-attacks were possible because of delayed or missing patches.
That said, patching can be overlooked in a large organization simply because it’s difficult to keep up with numerous patches across many devices and applications. The answer is to relegate the process to automation and remove technicians from the process, who could be better used elsewhere.
The best patch management software makes all the difference when that time comes. Look for the right features and choose a vendor you trust, and it will be easy to keep your IT environment up-to-date and safe. Explore our patch management FAQs to dive deeper.
