There’s no disputing the massive growth in cloud computing and portable devices in recent years. Clearly, industry has moved on in a great many ways from the days of desktop computers and hardwired, on-prem networks.
One survey showed that the average employee now uses 2.5 devices to conduct business. And according to the AimPoint Group 2022 State of ITOps survey, 60% of organizations are using more than ten tools and solutions for endpoint management.
While organizations are more than getting used to working in undistributed environments, remote devices still present several security challenges for IT departments.
Fortunately, cloud-native options are out in full force, providing the solutions you need to secure remote endpoints. And with a few simple best practices, getting your infrastructure patched and keeping it that way can become a low-lift, routine, daily task.
Gone are the old days in which laptops, mobile phones, and other remote devices were reserved only for senior-level staff. Then, they made up a small percentage of total endpoints. Mobile devices were only really used when traveling, they were always in the office so they could be patched the same way desktops were.
As the number of remote devices in company infrastructures has grown over the past half-decade, security procedures to patch and manage these endpoints have lagged.
Today, employees are always on, working from home, in coffee shops, or at 30,000 feet. They access the network more often out of the office than they do in the office.
In order to maintain data security across your entire network, there are a few best practices you can adopt that will simplify and expedite your ability to patch remote users.
Consistently monitor remote devices and patch status
With the growth of shadow IT and Bring-Your-Own-Device policies, many IT departments do not have full visibility into what applications and devices connect to their network. The first step to maintaining proper patch security for remote users is knowing what remote devices and applications exist in your network.
Seek tools that promote visibility and support a single source of truth. Keeping track of this manually is extremely difficult, so it is recommended that you use a solution to automatically keep track of all devices, applications, and their patch status.
Automate endpoint patching & management
Today’s modern environments consist of several operating systems and numerous third-party applications. Keeping up to date by patching manually is no longer an option. Too often, manual patching leads to systems that are left unpatched for months – or years even. And remote employees who may connect to unsecured networks are especially risky.
To reach 100% patched status, companies need a cloud-native automated patch management solution.
Automated patch remediation is tailored to your organization. From set it and forget it simplicity to integrating into your existing patch workflow, automation saves you time, money, and resources.
Automate vulnerability remediation for immediate and regular protection
Effectively preventing exploits of known vulnerabilities requires patches are applied quickly and regularly. Exploits are developed as soon as a vulnerability is discovered. While zero-day attacks are harder to defend against, staying secure with disclosed CVEs is critical.
While patching on-premise endpoints seemed easier when remote work began, you’re now able to follow remote endpoint protocol in a similarly straightforward manner.
With tools like Automated Vulnerability Remediation (AVR), you can keep every endpoint current and protected from exploitation by known CVEs. As long as the endpoint is connected to the internet, it can be patched – automatically.
You can automatically check for, test, and apply patches across all endpoints, whether they’re remote or on-premise.
Enforce software installations and updates
A challenge with remote patching is ensuring that the updates are actually applied in a timely matter and that employees are not delaying or ignoring critical security patches. You need to able to enforce updates so remote devices remain secure.
Training employees on how to identify potential phishing attacks and overall system security is critical. But to fully prevent attacks, you need visibility into and control over patching, software deployments, and configuration settings of employees’ devices, even if they are remote.
Automox enforces patching, while also allowing end users some ability to reduce interruptions. Employees can delay patch installation for a set number of times before it is automatically applied. Additionally, Automox allows you to remotely install software on any endpoint to ensure that each device is up to date with the current version of required software.
The wonderful truth is that SysAdmins no longer need to manually track patch status of remote devices or worry that certain devices have been left unpatched. Your IT environment can stay secure – and you can spend more of your time on big picture, strategic work.
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- How do you keep your endpoints configured and secured?
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Automox for Easy IT Operations
Automox is the cloud-native IT operations platform for modern organizations. It makes it easy to keep every endpoint automatically configured, patched, and secured – anywhere in the world. With the push of a button, IT admins can fix critical vulnerabilities faster, slash cost and complexity, and win back hours in their day.
Grab your free trial of Automox and join thousands of companies transforming IT operations into a strategic business driver.
