One of the least exciting functions of IT management is maintaining software and hardware with operating system updates. These are a crucial part of the management of a healthy and secure network and yet are often overlooked or ignored because of the inconvenience involved with downtime. Here at Datcom we recognize the importance of this process and take the hassle out of your hands for ensuring your network is as safe, secure and up to date as possible. This is becoming increasingly important for companies who wish to seek accreditation with bodies such as PCI and IASME for Cyber Essentials as a core requirement of these certifications is to ensure systems are still supported and are patched up as quickly as possible.
There have been some high-profile examples over the last few years of unpatched systems leading to exploitation by hackers and others acting with malicious intent such as the WannaCry ransomware which exploited a vulnerability with SMBv1, an older technology used for file access which had been deprecated for some time but was still in use on older and unpatched systems. The most notable victim of this was the NHS which was severely impacted by this code encrypting all of their files and rendering them useless unless a ransom was paid. This highlights not only the importance of good security practices in general such as antivirus usage, secure DNS for safe internet browsing and robust email filtering but also the impact of running systems which are not as patched as they should be.
The inconvenience of installing patches can be reduced significantly with a well put together patching plan and maintenance window in conjunction with the ability to monitor the status of these and act on any issues. At Datcom, we can manage this for you and much more, taking the pressure off your IT team or nominated IT user to ensure these critical, yet often overlooked, tasks are carried out for you with as little impact to business operation as is possible through our Network Operations department who will actively monitor the patching status of your equipment and are always on the lookout for the next critical vulnerabilities which need to be protected against, utilizing automated over-night maintenance windows to further reduce downtime for you during core business hours.