In today’s episode I talk about patching various types of systems and my recommendations for each.  
Workstations

BIOS/Firmware

Update at deployment then as needed


Drivers

Update at deployment then as needed


OS

Update monthly
Delay one month from release date unless critical


Applications

Enable auto-update if available
Update monthly if reasonable, otherwise as needed

Level of effort
Cost





Servers

BIOS/Firmware

Update at deployment then as needed





Drivers

Update at deployment then as needed


OS

Update monthly
Delay one month from release date unless critical


Applications

Deploy stable version and update annually or as needed



Networking

Firmware

Deploy stable version and update annually or as needed



Printers

Firmware

Deploy stable version and update annually or as needed


Drivers

Deploy stable version and update as needed



Mobile

Smartphones

Update major version as stable
Enable auto-update for minor version if historically stable
Apps should auto-update, delayed if necessary for testing


Tablets

Update major version as stable
Enable auto-update for minor version if historically stable
Apps should auto-update, delayed if necessary for testing



Misc

IOT

Try to deploy only if reputable manufacturer
Enable auto-updates


Intrusion Prevention

Deploy stable version and update annually or as needed


Access Control

Deploy stable version and update annually or as needed


Fire Alarm

Deploy stable version and update annually or as needed



Final Thoughts

Keeping systems updated is typically around 25% of your time as a SysAdmin
Depending on the system much of this work will need to be completed after hours
Choosing how often a system is updated is an important balance between required up time, stability and security

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