Key Points
- Define Patch Management Audit: A patch management audit evaluates IT patching processes, identifies blockers, and ensures systems remain secure, compliant, and efficient.
- Strengthen Cybersecurity: 57% of cyberattacks could have been prevented with timely patching (Ponemon Institute). Regular audits reduce vulnerabilities and protect against breaches.
- Ensure Compliance: Patch management audits verify adherence to cybersecurity standards, SLAs, and vendor contracts, ensuring compliance with regulatory and industry requirements.
- Streamline Patch Processes: Audits highlight inefficiencies and support automation with patch management software, improving speed, accuracy, and IT productivity.
- Collect and Leverage Data: Keeping audit records provides actionable insights, supports incident response, and improves long-term patching strategies.
- Audit Checklist Essentials: Review patch policies, scan networks, identify unpatched vulnerabilities, evaluate risk-based decisions, verify metrics, report patch statuses, and document improvements.
- Best Practices for Auditing: Set clear goals, document findings, conduct thorough analysis, verify data (never assume), roll out changes incrementally, and monitor results continuously.
Patching is an essential function within any MSP or IT department, so maintaining a successful patch management process is a top priority for organizations. One method to do so is to follow a patch management audit checklist. In this article, we provide one to help you evaluate and improve your current patch management process.
What Is a patch management audit?
A patch management audit is a type of IT audit that allows organizations to analyze and adjust their patching processes to make them more effective.
After completing a patch management audit, an organization will have all the information and data necessary to analyze and improve its patching processes. This data can reveal blockers and other issues that prevent the efficient patching of its IT systems.
Generate insightful reports on patch compliance and vulnerabilities to make strategic decisions with NinjaOne.
5 benefits of a patch management audit
1) Identify and resolve blockers
Even organizations that follow all the best practices for patch management run into blockers. A thorough patch management audit helps these (and all kinds of) organizations identify and resolve blockers in their patching processes.
2) Decrease security risks
According to Next Perimeter’s overview on the importance of patching referring to the 2019 “Costs and Consequences of Gaps in Vulnerability Response” report by the Ponemon Institute, “57% of cyberattack victims stated that applying a patch would have prevented the attack.” This goes to show that an audit will ensure that an organization’s patching provides the necessary IT security for a business.
3) Monitor compliance standards
Patch compliance refers to the number of devices that have been successfully patched, while patch management compliance refers to cybersecurity and patch management standards. During a patch management audit, an IT team can ensure that they follow all of these standards.
4) Streamline processes
After blockers have been identified and resolved, an audit also presents an opportunity to streamline current patching operations. For example, if the audit shows that your current patching process is slow, consider automating it with patch management software.
5) Collect relevant data
Whenever a patch management issue appears, it’s helpful to have data from an audit to refer to and use. This is why it’s important to keep records and documentation of previous patch management audits on hand.
A complete patch management audit checklist
When conducting a patch management audit, businesses follow a checklist or outline to keep the process on track. It also ensures that the audit is performed correctly.
A patch management audit checklist includes these steps:
- Perform an overview of the organization’s current patching policy and processes
- Determine patch statuses by scanning an organization’s network
- Look into unpatched vulnerabilities to identify the causes and trends
- Analyze risk-based decisions and procedures that influence patching processes
- Ensure that the correct metrics are used to accurately measure and record information
- Confirm that patch statuses are reported to the right team members or management
- Identify processes and areas for improvement
- Verify that patching expectations are written down and identified in contracts or agreements (especially SLAs and vendor contracts).
6 best practices to follow when auditing a patch management policy
1) Set expectations
Set your patch management audit up for success with clear expectations and goals. To guarantee that the whole team is on the same page, write down all audit expectations and ensure that everyone involved in the process receives a copy. A patch management audit checklist, such as the one outlined above, helps with this.
2) Document relevant info
All relevant information should be documented throughout the patch management audit. This data will help the team analyze current processes and find areas for improvement.
3) Conduct a thorough analysis
As you conduct a patch management audit, remember that this is a thorough analysis. Avoid just looking at the surface and dig deeper into patch management processes and systems to ensure that you gather all necessary data.
4) Never assume during an audit
When conducting a patch management audit, never make assumptions. It’s best to verify all information for yourself, even if the records show the systems haven’t changed.
5) Roll out changes incrementally
If you plan to make major changes after a patch management audit, roll them out incrementally and provide notice for all teams who will be impacted. Keep in mind that major changes like these impact not only your team but also the entire organization.
6) Monitor all patch management changes
After implementing changes to a patch management system, monitor them closely so you can determine whether they’re actually beneficial for your patch management process.
Make the most of your audit with our in-depth guide on ensuring effective and efficient patch management.
Update your devices with patch management software from NinjaOne
If your patch management audit reveals that you aren’t automating your systems, try out NinjaOne’s patch management software. With this solution, you can automatically identify and resolve vulnerabilities from a single pane of glass. Start your free trial today and take the first step towards creating a more secure and streamlined IT environment.
Still have questions left unanswered? Check out our comprehensive FAQ page on patch management.
