Posted by: TAZ Networks on June 29, 2018 at 8:00 am
Why run Windows updates? It’s important for your network security.
by Tavis Patterson, President and Owner
We’ve all seen the dreaded Windows update screen that appears at the worst possible moment. And most Windows updates seem to take forever. Is the answer to not patch your machine at all?
Recently two of Microsoft’s critical zero-day patches caused network access problems for our clients. After the patch installed, some client computers couldn’t connect to the network. Of course, we get the frustrated calls, and the first question is “Why even install updates in the first place?” Don’t get me wrong — we understand the frustration, but we HAVE to let those updates install.
Once Microsoft issues a notice to the public about a zero-day vulnerability that needs patching, there is a good chance that it has already been exploited, and a virus or trojan that directly uses that weakness has been released to the dark side of the Internet.
Organized cybercrime units want control of your business data, and they often get it via unpatched exploits. It’s big money for them, putting your business and personal data at a huge risk. Business owners must weigh that risk against a potential inconvenience that may result from a security patch installation. (By the way, Microsoft does a tremendous job designing patches that work for nearly every PC on the planet.)
I know it stinks when patch issues arise and when patches get installed at inconvenient times, but our primary responsibility as a service provider is to keep you and your data as safe as we can. We pre-review patches as best we can but mistakes do happen. However, patches are a must!
—Tavis