What is patch management?

Patch management is the systematic process of identifying, deploying, installing, and verifying software code updates — such as patches, hot fixes, and service packs — for operating systems and applications.

What it means

Per NIST, patch management covers notifying, identifying, deploying, installing, and verifying software revisions. Keeping systems patched closes known vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, which is why it is a routine, high-impact task in systems administration, IT support, and security-operations work.

Sources

• National Institute of Standards and Technology — NIST CSRC Glossary: https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary

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