But with AppGuard, you can patch at your own pace.

Patch management is a growing problem for IT/Sec-Ops teams. A Ponemon survey report [PDF] describes the scale of the patch management challenge. Surveyed cybersecurity professionals reported that attack volumes were up 15 percent and attack severity had increased 24 percent. But in 57 percent of breaches, hackers exploited vulnerabilities for which a patch was available but not applied.

The report also noted that since many IT/Sec-Ops teams use manual processes, it’s difficult to prioritize which patches to apply first. Add to that the need at some companies to coordinate patch deployment with other teams — plus concern that a patch could have downstream effects on other applications and operating systems — and it’s easy to understand why patch deployment gets delayed.

So, how can IT/Sec-Ops organizations improve their patch management practices? Here are a couple of options you might see if you read a lot of industry reports on the issue:

• Hire more people. The idea here is that additional staff can help you perform all the necessary processes before patch deployment more quickly, e.g., testing patches to make sure they won’t compromise vital applications and operating systems. But while staffing up may be an option for some companies, not everyone has enough room in the budget.
• Do a better job of basic hygiene. Performing tasks like scanning for vulnerabilities is always a good idea. But being more attentive to basic hygiene is also a heavy lift for IT/Sec-Ops teams that are already bombarded with alerts and trying to mitigate the effects of vulnerabilities introduced via user endpoints.

Cybercriminals understand that IT/Sec-Ops teams are overwhelmed, so the race is on every time patches are released, and too often, hackers exploit the vulnerabilities before the patch can be applied. And since many IT/Sec-Ops teams are already overwhelmed and underfunded, increasing staff and improving hygiene practices may not be an immediate option.

Fortunately, there’s another alternative — AppGuard. Our endpoint protection solution is designed to address the common denominator in all malware attacks: the use of apps to gain entry and the hijacking of apps and utilities to cause harm. If you can stop those activities in their tracks, you can thwart all malware attacks, every time.

Unlike “detect and respond” endpoint protection products, AppGuard doesn’t wait until an app goes rogue to identify the problem and alert you to address it — we assume any app or utility can go rogue and prevent them from doing harm. That’s why we call it “AppGuard.” And by preventing apps and utilities from causing harm, AppGuard functions as a one-and-done lifetime patch.

You’ll still have to apply patches, of course. But with AppGuard, you can patch at your own pace. AppGuard can give your busy IT/Sec-Ops team breathing room, secure in the knowledge that malware can’t hijack your apps and utilities to cause harm. And the benefits of a preventive approach like AppGuard’s extend far beyond patch management. Ask for a demo to learn more.