Blog | 3-minute Read
Why outdated patching habits are leaving organisations exposed
Jaco Le Roux
Security Operations Solutions Engineer
Published: 28 November 2025
Attackers exploit easy targets. Slow patching processes provide that opening. Learn why outdated habits extend the risk window, and the modern patching methods that close the gap without adding to workload.
Patching should be one of the simplest defensive controls an organisation has. After all, it’s a basic requirement of good cyber hygiene and a foundational requirement for Cyber Essentials certification.
Yet all too often it remains a source of unnecessary exposure.
Much of this comes down to entrenched habits that look sensible on the surface but work against you in practice.
These are patching antipatterns. Familiar ways of working that create delays and widen the gap between a patch being available and a patch being applied.
We see them all the time across Microsoft-first environments. Long testing cycles, carefully protected “perfect states”, business-critical systems treated as untouchable, and governance processes that slow down changes when speed matters most.
Modern software moves quickly. Attackers move even faster. Patching has to keep pace with both.
Old-school patching strategies are still everywhere
It probably doesn’t come as a big surprise to learn that many organisations are still running their patching on, what we might call ‘legacy assumptions.’
Such as:
- Patching should be tested in staging or dev environments that perfectly mirror production
- Long testing cycles
- N-1 or N-x policies
- Waiting for the next CAB meeting
- Delaying anything that might “risk downtime” on business-critical systems
It’s a model that tends to work off the premise that software updates are infrequent and that full scenario testing provides meaningful protection. Neither reflects how enterprise estates work today.
What we see in reality is a state of quiet and continuous updates. Just look at your Microsoft 365 applications for example.
Outlook UI changes mid-year. Windows icons refresh overnight. Office updates land quietly every few days. None of this destabilises organisations. It’s simply the reality of cloud-connected software.
From a vulnerability perspective, this means your patching needs to adopt the same rhythm.
Attackers aren’t waiting for your change calendar
Attackers are, in the main, opportunists. And that means finding easy targets and points of least resistance.
If your environment reports a known vulnerability and public proof-of-concept code exists, you’re a target. It doesn’t matter whether the system is “critical” or not.
There’s also a timing issue.
Security researchers are often working behind the scenes for weeks or months before a vulnerability is disclosed.
A patch lands first. Details come later.
That gap is designed to give organisations time to act.
But if you then wait another month or two for your own internal testing cycles, suddenly that three-month window has stretched to six or nine.
And that’s where breaches happen.
5 patching antipatterns that are quietly extending your risk
Here are the patterns we see again and again inside enterprise environments.
Each one a legacy of old practices that today just slow things down and extend your window of vulnerability.
How Microsoft’s ecosystem actually works (and how to use it to your advantage)
Microsoft’s release process is more predictable than many organisations assume. Patches are released as soon as they are ready. Detailed write-ups appear later.
That gap is intentional.
It gives organisations a head start before exploitation ramps up.
The good news is that Microsoft has built the tooling to make fast, controlled patching achievable. Most organisations already have it. They’re just not using it fully.
Modernising patching by configuring update rings in Microsoft Intune
Update rings define how and when Windows devices install OS updates. They don’t deliver updates themselves. Instead, they control the strategy that Windows Update for Business follows.
A simple ring structure, configured through Microsoft Intune, changes everything:
- Ring 0: SOC and IT
- Ring 1: Early adopters
- Ring 2: The general workforce
- Ring 3: Sensitive users and executives
Critical updates hit Ring 0 immediately. If the devices handle them without issues, updates flow automatically through the remaining rings.
This approach provides:
- Real-world validation rather than lab-based testing
- Shorter patching times for high-risk vulnerabilities
- Standardised behaviour that avoids conflicts with legacy policies
It’s one of the most effective ways to break patching antipatterns without adding operational burden.
Bringing server patching into the modern world with Azure Update Manager
Azure Update Manager gives you a single place to patch Windows and Linux servers across Azure, on-premises, and hybrid environments.
It supports:
- Compliance visibility
- Controlled maintenance windows
- Real-time or scheduled patching
- Automatic guest patching for Azure VMs
- Hotpatching on supported VM types
- Orchestrated rollouts with health checks
In other words, it replaces manual patch cycles with predictable, consistent automation that mirrors how cloud environments actually operate.
For hybrid organisations, this is the foundation of reliable server patching.
Where organisations should start
If you recognise any of the antipatterns above, the first steps are simple:
- Shorten your patching windows for Critical and Important updates
- Use Intune to introduce update rings that reflect real usage patterns
- Bring Azure Update Manager into your operational rhythm
- Tie patch status into the SOC’s regular reporting
- Remove legacy GPO or tool conflicts that block update policies
- Set clear SLAs with shared ownership between IT, security, and application teams
This is achievable without a big programme. It just requires alignment and momentum.
Why this matters now
Microsoft vulnerabilities appear with regularity as new software updates come online. We see exploits appear within hours of disclosure. We see organisations carrying long-standing vulnerabilities simply because processes have not kept up with how software works today.
Breaking patching antipatterns is one of the fastest, most impactful ways to reduce real-world risk. It removes the easy wins attackers rely on. It strengthens the foundations of every other security investment.
And it’s entirely doable with the tools organisations already have.
Patching is cyber defence in its most direct form.
Break the antipatterns. Shorten the exposure window. Move faster than the threat.
Key takeaways
Slow patching extends exposure far longer than most teams realise.
Outdated testing and approval processes delay critical updates.
Business-critical systems become high-value targets when left unpatched.
Modern update rings enable safe, rapid rollout without extra workload.
Azure Update Manager brings consistency and visibility to server patching.
Breaking old habits is the fastest way to close common vulnerability gaps.
Your next steps?
If you want to modernise patching without adding pressure to your teams, we can help.
Our security team can assess your current approach and help you build a faster, more resilient patching model.
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