Put patch management on cruise control with Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud 23.09

According to the Ponemon Institute, the average delay in patching applications is 102 days. And 60% of breach victims report that their breaches resulted from known vulnerabilities — vulnerabilities for which patches were available but not applied. This data shows the importance of maintaining an efficient and timely patch management process for businesses.

We're excited to announce that Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud's 23.09 update is bringing some significant improvements to the patch management functionality within Acronis Advanced Management. With these improvements, MSPs can enhance their patching strategy — providing an optimal blend of security, efficiency and reduced operational burdens.

A primary factor contributing to the high patching delay is the labor-intensive nature of patching for IT teams. Surprisingly, only 44% of organizations employ automation to aid in vulnerability management and patching. Our mission at Acronis is to simplify and streamline such processes. A standout feature in this release gives you the option to apply automatic patch approval without testing. While this might sound concerning, the operator retains complete control over any automation and the conditions under which it may apply — always with the option to select manual control and the level of testing.

This new function introduces unparalleled ease to the traditionally laborious patch approval process. Now, instead of spending valuable time manually testing and approving patches, you can leverage the benefits of fully automated approvals — even for zero-day patches. This not only saves time but also allows your team to focus on other mission-critical activities. Moreover, automatic approvals eliminate the risk of delaying essential patches — thereby strengthening your security posture.

In the screenshot below, you'll find the new "Automatic patch approval without testing" option in the approval settings of the “Patches” tab.

The second feature is the addition of a patch maintenance window. This function lets you specify time frames within which patch activities are permitted. In doing so, you can align patch deployments with your organization's specific needs and availability. Such control can significantly reduce the impact of patching activities on both end users and critical business operations.

In the screenshot below, you'll see the new “Configure maintenance window for patches” option, which allows you to deploy patches within a specified timeframe.

Patch management in Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is not just about automatic updates. It provides a diverse array of controls for MSPs, enabling you to:

·       Install updates: Both OS-level and application-level updates supporting over 300 third-party applications.

·       Control approvals: Manually or automatically approve patches.

·       Customize patching: Select patches based on criteria like severity, category and approval status.

·       Mitigate risks: Perform preupdate backup to prevent unsuccessful updates.

·       Control reboot: Define the reboot action after patch installation.

For MSPs interested in a comprehensive guide on enabling and fine-tuning patch management, the product documentation is your go-to resource. This documentation will embrace the 23.09 features come October 2023.

While patch management is a pivotal component of the Advanced Management pack for Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, the pack offers more. MSPs can make use of:

·       Machine learning-based workload monitoring: Proactively detect anomalies and transition from the "break-fix" model.

·       Prebuilt or custom Cyber Scripting: Automate issue remediation and streamline workflows with minimal effort.

·       Remote desktop connection: Rapidly address end user technical issues to reduce downtime.

By integrating these new functionalities into your services, MSPs can elevate their service offerings and tap into new revenue streams. The synergy of vulnerability assessment and patch management in Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud hands MSPs an unparalleled toolkit. These features don't merely add security layers; they seamlessly merge them — sculpting a client environment that's robust, agile and efficient.

For existing Acronis partners, a deep dive into these features is just a click away (just follow the steps described in our product documentation). Should you have queries on testing or enabling these new features, your partner success manager is ready to assist.

If Acronis is a new name for you, we invite you to explore more on the Advanced Management pack page on our website. Dive in and discover the future of MSP solutions.