When it comes to cyber security, eternal vigilance is the cost of a smoothly running system. However, vigilance has become more and more of an automated thing over the last ten years or so, making it easier to keep your system free of cyber threats than ever before. Aside from the typical anti malware and firewall types of software that everyone should have installed on their system, proper security patch management is also vital to maintaining the long term integrity of your machine and its operations.

While the importance of security patch management has gotten more media attention when it comes to certain popular operating systems more than others, ALL operating systems need to be set up to properly go about the security patch management process. No system is immune to hackers, malware, et cetera, and it behooves us all to be prepared for the worst, yet hope for the best. Most operating systems out there today already come with a semi automated method for users to go about security patch management duties. These methods typically consist of the operating system automatically checking for newly released patches, and notifying the user when new patches are available.

Needless to say, the best way to go about security patch management in these cases is to immediately download and install any new security patches the moment your system tells you that they are available. In addition to consistently and faithfully downloading every new security patch that your system prompts you to download as soon as they become public, proper security patch management also includes always leaving enough room on your hard drive to download and install new patches as they become available. You can ensure extra room on your hard drive by storing large files on external units, making sure that any and all extraneous, old, and redundant files and programs are regularly cleansed from your system, and generally being rather more judicious than the average bear when it comes to what you download in the first place. Good luck!