Patch management is the process of identifying, testing, and applying software updates or ‘patches’ to fix weak points and vulnerabilities within a system.
Often, these patches are deployed to fix functionality issues in the operating systems, applications, and firmware, or security flaws which, if left unchecked, could be exploited by cybercriminals. If these patches are not deployed, applications may not run as expected and attackers could gain access to your systems and data.
Through comprehensive and regular patch management, organizations can improve performance and ensure system stability, as well as ensure their sensitive data remains safe and that they remain compliant with important regulations.
Without proper patch management, businesses become easy targets for cyberattacks. To further highlight the benefits of investing in patch management for your organizations, Expert Insights have gathered various reports and statistics covering the patch management market, risks, and implementation.
General Market Statistics
- In 2024, the patch management market had an estimated size of $950 million USD
- This is projected to reach $2.25 billion by the end of the year 2034 at a CAGR of 9%
- The following factors have been identified as key drivers for the patch management market:
- Regulatory requirements for software updates
- Complexity of managing updates across extensive and diverse IT environments
- Increasing incidents of hacking and rise of cybersecurity threats
- North America was the largest region in the patch management market in 2024, and Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region.
Adaptiva State Of Patch Management 2025 Report
This research from Adaptiva, in partnership with Demand Metric, explores the progress that has been made and the persistent challenges within enterprise patch management. Based on a survey of 250+ IT and security professionals, it explores the latest patch management trends and opportunities, and found that:
- 87% of organizations have had third-party applications with vulnerabilities that made patching a necessity.
- 98% of IT and Security pros say patching disrupts their work, forcing them to reallocate resources.
- 77% of organizations need more than a week to deploy patches.
- 64% say coordination between detection and remediation is their biggest challenge.
- 94% of organizations are automating, or plan to automate, patch distribution within the next year.
- 51% say patching is now a bigger issue than vulnerability detection.
Ponemon Institute 2024 State Of Enterprise Cyber Risk In The Age Of AI Report
The Ponemon Institute’s 2024 State of Cyber Risk report uses over 20,000 responses from hundreds of C-suite leaders. It provides insights into the current state of enterprise cyber risk and the role of AI in it. The report explains that:
- Unpatched systems and software are leading the race of top cyber risk concerns. 54% of survey respondents are grappling with the persistent issue of unpatched vulnerabilities.
- Furthermore, 48% of respondents are concerned about misconfigurations, and 43% are worried about End-of-Life (EOL) systems.
- For context: when a system reaches EOL, it means the vendor is no longer providing patches for it.
- One of the recommended next steps the report offers is: “Organizations must invest in better tools and frameworks… Scan-based approaches are outdated, and enterprises should look for continuous monitoring and patch management.”
Patch Management Implementation Statistics
- NinjaOne cites the following as common reasons why organizations may delay applying patches:
- Resource constraints, including lack of time, manpower, or financial resources.
- Compatibility concerns, fearing new patches might disrupt existing system operations.
- Oversight due to inadequate patch management policies or simple human error.
- Software patches are most often scanned for and applied after typical working hours, between 5:00pm and 11:59pm. The most common day of the week to scan for new patches is Friday, and the most common day to apply patches is Sunday.
- According to NinjaOne, 71% of IT and cybersecurity professionals believe that patching is too complex and time-consuming.
- According to Sophos’ 2024 State of Ransomware report, 32% of ransomware attacks in 2024 alone started with an unpatched vulnerability.
- Out of the 5,000 respondents, 59% of organizations were hit by a ransomware attack in the last year. 70% of successful attacks resulted in data being encrypted.
For more related articles on Patch Management, check out these Expert Insights resources:
- The Top Patch Management Software for Business
- The Top RMM Solutions for MSPs
- The Top Remote Management Tools For Windows
- Improving Patch Management In The Hybrid Workplace
