This System update policy from TechRepublic Premium provides guidelines for the timely update of operating systems and other software used by the company. It also offers guidance for devices not connected to a network.

The processes outlined in this policy will guide the IT and/or security staff through the update process, ensuring that proper backups are maintained, appropriate updates for each platform are applied and that updates are logged to ensure no device on the network is left in an insecure state.

This policy can be customized to meet the needs of your organization.

From the policy:

Summary

Maintaining a regular schedule of operating system and application updates to company devices or employee-owned devices used to conduct company business — as well as applying critical out-of-band patches as vulnerabilities are discovered­ — is paramount to maintaining the integrity of corporate security and protecting the business.

With the advent of such threats as malware, ransomware and social engineering, performing regular security and platform updates, as well as creating backups in the event that an update fails to install properly, is necessary to ensure that business operations can be smoothly conducted.

In the interest of stability and maintaining company operations, having standardized and well-documented practices for the installation of operating systems and software updates is vital.