Venn Patching Process

Workplace creates a secure perimeter around sensitive data and applications. Using advanced security technology and dynamic access control, Workplace ensures that data is only accessed by approved users, with compliant devices, operating within specific policies. Venn frequently installs patches to fix vulnerabilities that can potentially harm dynamic access control and secure perimeter Workplace provides.

• Why Do We Patch?
• What Do We Patch?
• How Do We Test Patches?
• When Do We Patch?

Why Do We Patch?

Software that takes advantage of critical vulnerabilities can install and run on any computer as the user completes common tasks, such as browsing to a web page or opening email, without any warnings or prompts.

For example, Microsoft recently issued a security update to patch about 80 securities holes to the Windows operating system and related software. Nearly a quarter of the fixes were assigned a Critical rating, meaning the vulnerabilities could allow code execution without user interaction.

To ensure that the data of your organization is protected, Venn follows a strict policy to patch known vulnerabilities and security holes so that your ecosystem remains secure.

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What Do We Patch?

The subjects of patching are physical and virtual machines running:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008/R2, 2012/R2, 2016
• Microsoft Office 2013, 2016 applications
• Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft .Net
• Microsoft Exchange

For patching of other applications, such as Google Chrome, Venn monitors new releases of each software and deploys updates in 7-days periods.

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How Do We Test Patches?

Venn maintains a test laboratory, which consists of several virtual and physical systems that are isolated from our production environment.

The systems in the test laboratory are set up to be clones of the most used and critical configurations in our production environment and are only used for testing purposes.

All patches are tested in the lab environment before deployment to the production environment.

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When Do We Patch?

The Venn patching schedule is depended on Microsoft's patch schedule. Typically, Microsoft releases software patches and updates on the second, and sometimes fourth, Tuesday of each month in North America. This day is also known as Patch Tuesday.

The following table indicates the Venn patching schedule: