The patches that break things
The security patch was critical. The outage it caused was worse.
Patch management is a constant tension: move too slow and you're vulnerable; move too fast and you break production. Most MSPs have a process. Few have a process that actually balances speed with stability.
The scenario:
You need a patch management framework that keeps clients secure without creating more problems than it solves.
The prompt:
You're building a patch management SOP.
Create a process that includes:
- Patch classification (critical, important, optional)
- Testing requirements by classification
- Rollout stages (pilot group → production)
- Rollback procedures and triggers
- Communication templates for planned vs. emergency patches
- Exception handling for clients with unique requirements
- Metrics to track (time to patch, rollback rate, incidents caused)
Include a decision tree for "patch now vs. wait for testing."