Why Patch Management Remains the Most Annoying Problem in IT Security

Why Patch Management Remains the Most Annoying Problem in IT Security

From The Security Strategist by EM360Tech

April 10, 2026 · 23 min · Season 1 · Episode 112

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges of patch management in IT security and offers strategies to simplify the process.

Keeping your organisation’s systems secure can feel like an endless battle. Patch management and vulnerability mitigation are often seen as tedious tasks, but they form the backbone of effective cybersecurity. In this episode of the  Security Strategist  podcast, host  Richard Stiennon  and  Mike Walters , co-founder of Action1, break down why patching remains challenging and share practical strategies to make the process simpler, smarter, and more effective. Patch Management Remains a Challenge Patch management has been a concern since the earliest days of computing, dating back to mainframes and early PCs. Despite technological advances, it remains a "busy work" task that many IT teams find overwhelming.  So what makes patching so hard today? One of the main reasons patching is still so difficult is the constant evolution of IT ecosystems. As Walters explains, "The biggest challenge is the ever-evolving nature of software with different applications, sources, and methodologies."  Operating systems, third-party apps, and custom configurations all require tailored approaches for updates and patches, making uniform processes impossible. Large…

People in this episode

Host: Richard Stiennon

Guest: Mike Walters

Topics covered

  • patch management
  • IT security
  • vulnerability mitigation
  • cybersecurity
  • technology challenges

Keywords

  • patch management
  • IT security
  • cybersecurity
  • vulnerability mitigation
  • technology challenges

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Action1

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