It is easy for both rookies and experienced technicians to make mistakes when patching
systems, particularly when they are rushed. Three things can happen when patches are
applied and two aren’t good. The first thing is that all goes well and there are no problems.
The second is that the patch does not go well and your technical team struggles to
restore capability while your business suffers from the denial of service. The third thing
(and arguably the worst) is that the patch doesn’t work as planned and your environment
is exposed to unacceptable risks.
Change impacts many things in your organization, principally your people, service
level agreements (SLAs), contracts, capacity, and security. You should always plan
changes to your information environment carefully to ensure you are conducting the due
diligence and due care that your information deserves. Remember that due diligence
refers to your activities to identify and understand the risks facing your organization.
Due care demonstrates that you have acted in a prudent and appropriate manner to
protect the organization, its resources (such as its information), and its people from
possible threats. Always have a plan when implementing changes to your information
environment and recognize that even seemingly small changes can have big effects.