Is There an OS Patching Solution for Windows and macOS?
As networks evolve and department needs change, the PC and workstation market has splintered. While Windows operating systems once dominated, macOS devices have risen steadily.
As of June 2022, Microsoft Windows has dominated as the most-used desktop OS worldwide. Microsoft's share of the pie is at approximately seventy-six percent. Apple’s macOS has gained desktop market share over the years, though. Today, macOS comes in at approximately fifteen percent market share.
When you consider other endpoints including tablets and smartphones, the market is even more divided.
Even though Microsoft and Apple have taken strides towards some level of compatibility, companies using both Windows and macOS workstations still run into several issues when managing the OS patching of the two systems.
Major pain points for orgs with shared OSes
1. Different software versions must be purchased for each OS
And updating the two operating systems and their related applications becomes a time-consuming task.
2. Managing macOS endpoints has been no picnic for IT administrators
That's mostly due to a lack of available device management solutions.
In the past, individuals using macOS devices may have been left to perform their own updates. It wasn’t until Apple acquired a mobile device management (MDM) solution that it could counter the challenges of keeping the enterprise uniform.
3. Despite the MDM solution, IT admins are still left with much overhead in provisioning or updating their macOS endpoints
As malware, viruses, and security flaws targeting macOS have increased, IT departments have had to be more vigilant in patching these workstations than ever before.
Now, in addition to managing multiple software versions for different OSes, many IT organizations also must leverage OS-specific endpoint security and management tools to keep these systems, plus their third-party applications, up to date and protected. And contrary to widespread rumors, that goes for macs, too.
True or false: Macs are unhackable
There’s a myth that macOSes are unhackable. It’s just not true. macOS endpoints have absolutely been affected by zero days (just like Windows endpoints have) in the past. That’s why automated patching is more important for macOS than Windows.
You see, Apple doesn't offer anything like Patch Tuesday (that’s when Microsoft doles out patch updates to improve the security of its applications). So, admins need to automate patching for macOS to ensure they don’t miss anything – or go crazy trying not to miss anything.
Plus, Apple doesn’t make things any easier for IT admins as there’s no regularity to the cadence with which they roll out their random updates.
As Apple prepares to release its next operating system in the fall of 2022, macOS 13 Ventura, now’s the time to consider an endpoint management solution that can easily keep all their systems up to date and running the latest software.
Even with the threat of unpatched known vulnerabilities, IT Managers and SysAdmins struggle to find a simple solution for patching both Windows and macOS workstations efficiently. Vendor-provided systems like Microsoft WSUS for Windows only patch their own operating system along with a limited ability to patch third-party applications.
Separate patching solutions for Windows and macOS is not the answer
Using different OS patching solutions for Windows and macOS can create difficulties for reporting and doesn’t offer full system visibility.
Consider now that many organizations have a majority of remotely distributed employees, and visibility becomes an even greater challenge. Configuring and maintaining multiple patching tools takes time and resources from IT teams who are asked to juggle patching with competing endpoint management and security priorities.
A cloud-native patching solution that does both
Fortunately, cloud-native patching and endpoint management platforms recognize the need for simple, effective OS patching across multiple platforms.
Automox patches Windows and macOS from a single dashboard. Because the solution is cloud-native, the workstations don’t have to be on-premise behind a firewall.
As long as they’re connected to the internet, they can be patched in real time. This ensures all endpoints are consistently up to date. On-demand reporting of patch status is as easy as the push of a button, so key stakeholders are easily kept in the loop.
Automox for Easy IT Operations
Automox is the cloud-native IT operations platform for modern organizations. It makes it easy to keep every endpoint automatically configured, patched, and secured – anywhere in the world. With the push of a button, IT admins can fix critical vulnerabilities faster, slash cost and complexity, and win back hours in their day.
We provides a 100% CloudNative IT Endpoint operations platform for modern organizations. As a comprehensive EndPointManagement Platform, it has advanced SoftwareManagement for PatchManagement, Adding, Removing, and Updating Software, Changing and Configure Settings along with PolicyManagement on any device or operating system located anywhere in the world and at any time. With the push of a button, ITAdministartors can fix CriticalVulnerabilities faster, slash cost and complexity, and win back hours in the day.If you want to know more kindly Click here