What is patch management? A guide to staying secure and compliant

This document explains the role of disciplined, risk-based patch management in reducing enterprise risk, outlining maturity stages from ad hoc updates to integrated vulnerability management with prioritization and orchestration. It emphasizes timely yet tested deployments, compliance requirements (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS), and lessons from past breaches (Equifax, WannaCry, Marriott) caused by delayed or missing patches. The paper promotes centralized visibility, automation, and reporting—positioning ThreatLocker Patch Management as a solution to streamline updates, enforce policies, and demonstrate compliance within a Zero Trust strategy.