I stopped patching on schedule for 3 months and saw fewer incidents

Everyone says you have to patch on the first Tuesday of every month or you're asking for trouble. I manage a small network for a dental office in Boise and last fall I just couldn't keep up. So I let patches sit for 3 months while I focused on tightening our firewall rules and user training. Surprisingly, our incident log actually dropped from like 5 alerts a week to maybe 1 or 2. I know it's anecdotal and probably reckless, but it made me rethink the whole automated patch-everything mindset. Maybe the real risk is from how we allow traffic and what users can do, not missing a few updates. Has anyone else seen a drop in alerts after deprioritizing patches for a bit?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_wilson878d ago

Isn't that how diets work too... skip the strict rules and you actually eat better?

paulc937d ago

Wait, 75% of people who try strict diet plans quit within the first month? That's wild lisa_wilson87. I tried keto once years ago and I think I made it maybe 10 days before I caved and ate a whole pizza lol. You're right though - when I just focus on having a little less sugar and more veggies without tracking every gram, I actually stick with it for months instead of giving up. The whole "all or nothing" approach just sets you up to feel like a failure if you slip up once.