protection rings<\/a>. There\u2019s a highly privileged group of skilled users who can handle some small amount of inconvenience and who have immense systems knowledge, and we can start there. That\u2019s you and your team, as the IT admins. From there, we can broaden the approach and pick key users of line-of-business software packages that perhaps IT doesn\u2019t have the specialized knowledge to test. Once they give the all clear, you can move to the vast majority of systems that represent general adoption of the new updates. And last but not least, you can patch the trailing devices who maybe shouldn\u2019t be updated with rapidity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nUsing a ring model will not only allow you to expose your organization to the new updates without risking your whole team\u2019s productivity, but it is a great way to test the validity and functionality of software updates without \u2013 and I\u2019m using a technical term here \u2013 YOLO\u2019ing new software to production. Good testing rubrics will give you a pathway to success regarding the functionality of any given update. Building a list of tasks that your expert users can test for you, and that tests the bounds of line-of-business software activities, will help you identify which updates are safe to apply, which may require patches of other apps, and which aren\u2019t ready for public distribution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Making a strong written procedure guide is a great way to ensure that updates get reviewed in a timely manner, and that your organization is protected not just against security vulnerabilities, but also against problematic updates damaging your workflows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Returning to the Code<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of this I talked about creating an IT Code for organizations to follow. Protecting your coworkers and your company is a delicate art, but it\u2019s a necessary one. Stewarding your organization\u2019s values into production policies will give you a chance to show your coworkers that you\u2019re doing everything you can to keep them safe and balance their work experience with the operating conditions and security needs of your company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Providing a good experience for patch management will simultaneously make your devices more secure and make your coworkers appreciate your attention to detail and execution. Treating their schedules with respect, as well as instilling the internal values related to patch management\u2019s requirements, is an important thing for any systems admin to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your values into your policies is a cornerstone to managing IT well. It\u2019s not something that some IT operations think about much, however. Blind adherence to individuated policies that are developed in a vacuum is a good way to run a department that your coworkers will do anything not<\/em> to engage with. Running a human-centric IT department, however, pays dividends in other ways, such as enhanced trust, better cooperation, better communications, and more frictionless IT experiences. Which is why I\u2019ll close with a good set of guideposts to get you there:<\/p>\n\n\n\nAs an IT Professional, I will do my best to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Preserve company data from carelessness and compromise<\/li>
- Protect my people from attack and their occasional inattention<\/li>
- Defend the integrity of our organization against bad policies, poor security, and short-sightedness.<\/li>
- Empower your people with knowledge.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Great experiences make IT a seamless experience, which everyone will appreciate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As I ask myself \u201cWhat\u2019s the IT Code for 2022?\u201d a few core principles stick out. When it comes to patch management, the focus here is on the end user. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":52686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"collection":[2778],"platform":[],"funnel_stage":[3016],"coauthors":[2600],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
How Patch Policies & User-led Enrollment Change Organizations<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n