Skip to main content
Patch Management in Security Management

Patch Management in Security Management

$251.00
Your guarantee:
30-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked
How you learn:
Self-paced • Lifetime updates
Who trusts this:
Trusted by professionals in 160+ countries
When you get access:
Course access is prepared after purchase and delivered via email
Toolkit Included:
Includes a practical, ready-to-use toolkit containing implementation templates, worksheets, checklists, and decision-support materials used to accelerate real-world application and reduce setup time.
Adding to cart… The item has been added

What does the Patch Management in Security Management course cover?

Patch Management in Security Management is covered here in 8 modules: Establishing a Patch Management Governance Framework, Asset Discovery and Inventory Management, Vulnerability Assessment and Patch Prioritization and 5 more. The outline lists 48 specific topics, opening with define roles and responsibilities for patching across IT operations, security, and business units to prevent accountability gaps during critical vulnerabilities.

How do you approach Patch Management in Security Management step by step?

The work is sequenced in 8 stages. It starts with Establishing a Patch Management Governance Framework, moves through Asset Discovery and Inventory Management and Vulnerability Assessment and Patch Prioritization, and ends at Incident Response and Continuous Improvement. Each stage carries its own topic list, so the sequence is followed rather than summarised.

What is in Module 1 of the Patch Management in Security Management course?

Module 1 is Establishing a Patch Management Governance Framework. It works through define roles and responsibilities for patching across IT operations, security, and business units to prevent accountability gaps during critical vulnerabilities., select and document criteria for system criticality classification, including dependencies, data sensitivity, and uptime requirements, to prioritize patching efforts., develop an escalation path for zero-day vulnerabilities that bypasses standard change.

How is the Patch Management in Security Management course delivered?

The Patch Management in Security Management course is fully self-paced with immediate online access after enrolment. Access does not expire and future updates are included at no cost. It can be taken on any device, and a certificate of completion is issued by The Art of Service when you finish.

How much does the Patch Management in Security Management course cost?

The Patch Management in Security Management course is $247 as a one time payment. There is no subscription, no per seat licence and no hidden fee. Enrolment carries a 30 day satisfied or refunded guarantee, so it can be assessed in full before you commit.

Closely related courses: Security Patching in Security Management, Patch Management Security Toolkit, Security Patching in IT Asset Management, Patch Management in IT Security Dataset.

More answers: what you get with every course, refund policy, all help answers.

This curriculum spans the full lifecycle of enterprise patch management, equivalent in scope to a multi-phase internal capability build, covering governance, technical execution, and continuous improvement across diverse infrastructure and risk contexts.

Module 1: Establishing a Patch Management Governance Framework

  • Define roles and responsibilities for patching across IT operations, security, and business units to prevent accountability gaps during critical vulnerabilities.
  • Select and document criteria for system criticality classification, including dependencies, data sensitivity, and uptime requirements, to prioritize patching efforts.
  • Develop an escalation path for zero-day vulnerabilities that bypasses standard change advisory boards when immediate action is required.
  • Integrate patch management policies with existing ITIL change management processes without introducing unacceptable delays in security response.
  • Negotiate patching windows with business stakeholders for systems supporting 24/7 operations, balancing availability and risk exposure.
  • Establish a formal exception process for deferring patches, requiring documented risk acceptance from data owners and retention for audit purposes.

Module 2: Asset Discovery and Inventory Management

  • Implement automated discovery tools to detect unauthorized or shadow IT systems that may not be included in the patching scope.
  • Classify assets by operating system, version, and function to determine applicable patch sources and deployment methods.
  • Resolve discrepancies between CMDB records and actual network scans to ensure all systems are accounted for in patch cycles.
  • Track virtual machine sprawl and ensure templates are patched before new instances are deployed.
  • Identify and flag end-of-life systems that cannot be patched, triggering risk mitigation plans such as isolation or replacement.
  • Maintain a dynamic inventory that reflects system lifecycle changes, including decommissioning, to prevent patching attempts on retired assets.

Module 3: Vulnerability Assessment and Patch Prioritization

  • Correlate CVSS scores with internal threat intelligence to adjust patching priority based on active exploitation in your sector.
  • Filter vulnerability alerts to eliminate false positives from scanning tools before initiating patch workflows.
  • Map detected vulnerabilities to MITRE ATT&CK techniques to assess exploitability in your specific environment.
  • Use exploit prediction scoring systems (EPSS) to supplement CVSS and prioritize patches with higher likelihood of real-world attacks.
  • Identify systems with compensating controls (e.g., network segmentation, EDR) that may safely defer patching without increasing risk.
  • Establish thresholds for automatic patch deployment based on severity, exposure, and asset criticality to reduce manual triage.

Module 4: Patch Sourcing, Testing, and Validation

  • Configure trusted sources for patches (e.g., Microsoft WSUS, Red Hat Satellite) and block unauthorized update channels to prevent tampering.
  • Build isolated test environments that mirror production configurations to evaluate patch impact on custom applications.
  • Coordinate with application vendors to obtain compatibility statements before applying OS or library updates.
  • Automate regression testing for mission-critical systems using scripted validation checks post-patch.
  • Document rollback procedures for failed patches, including backup restoration points and service recovery timelines.
  • Retain copies of patches and installation logs for forensic review and compliance audits.

Module 5: Deployment Strategies and Change Execution

  • Select deployment methods (e.g., group policy, configuration management tools, agent-based push) based on network topology and system distribution.
  • Implement phased rollouts by organizational unit or geographic region to contain impact from faulty patches.
  • Schedule patch deployments during maintenance windows while accounting for time zone differences in global operations.
  • Enforce reboot policies post-patching, including grace periods and forced restarts to ensure vulnerability closure.
  • Monitor deployment status in real time and trigger alerts for systems that fail to report compliance.
  • Integrate patch deployment with change management systems to maintain an auditable record of approvals and outcomes.

Module 6: Compliance Monitoring and Reporting

  • Generate daily compliance dashboards showing patch adherence rates by system group, location, and criticality level.
  • Configure automated alerts for systems that remain unpatched beyond defined SLAs for critical vulnerabilities.
  • Produce evidence packages for internal and external auditors demonstrating patching timelines and exception handling.
  • Reconcile patch compliance data across multiple sources (e.g., SCCM, Qualys, Tanium) to resolve reporting discrepancies.
  • Track mean time to patch (MTTP) for critical vulnerabilities to measure program effectiveness over time.
  • Report patching gaps to executive leadership using risk-based metrics rather than technical completion percentages.

Module 7: Third-Party and Application Patching

  • Inventory third-party applications (e.g., Java, Adobe, browsers) and establish update procedures outside OS-level patching cycles.
  • Automate patching for non-Microsoft applications using tools like PDQ Deploy or vendor-specific patch managers.
  • Address the risk of unsigned or self-updating applications that bypass centralized control mechanisms.
  • Enforce application allowlisting to prevent execution of outdated or unpatched software versions.
  • Coordinate with procurement to include patching requirements in vendor contracts for custom or SaaS applications.
  • Monitor software bill of materials (SBOM) for open-source components to identify and patch vulnerable dependencies.

Module 8: Incident Response and Continuous Improvement

  • Trigger emergency patching procedures when a vulnerability is observed in active exploitation, even if testing is incomplete.
  • Conduct post-incident reviews after breach events to determine if unpatched systems contributed to compromise.
  • Analyze failed patch deployments to identify root causes such as configuration drift or permission issues.
  • Update patch management runbooks based on lessons learned from change failures or security incidents.
  • Perform quarterly tabletop exercises simulating mass patching scenarios under time pressure.
  • Benchmark patching performance against industry standards (e.g., CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog) to identify improvement areas.
!