Windows Autopatch for Enterprise Systems Is Now Widely Available

 

On Monday, Microsoft announced that the Autopatch feature, which automatically maintains the most recent versions of Windows and Office software on enrolled endpoints, is now available to the general public.

Customers who have licenses for Windows Enterprise E3 or E5 can take advantage of the launch, which takes place a day before Microsoft is expected to release the monthly patch set it maintains for security flaws. On the other hand, it is not compatible with the Windows Education (A3) or Windows Front Line Worker (F3) licenses.

According to Lior Bela, "Microsoft will continue to release updates on the second Tuesday of each month. Now, Autopatch helps streamline updating operations and creates new opportunities for IT pros."

The security patches that makeup Autopatch are initially applied to the devices that belong to something known as the Test ring. This ring is comprised of a certain minimum number of devices that are representative of the whole. Following a period during which the updates are validated, they are distributed to the First (one percent of devices), Fast (nine percent), and Broad (ninety percent) rings, respectively.

The tech giant first hinted at the possibility of launching the service in April 2022, when it was attempting to implement Patch Tuesday updates in a timely manner and block potential attack vectors.

In addition to the updates for Windows 10 and 11, Autopatch also covers the updates for Microsoft Edge and the software that is included with Microsoft 365. This provides organizations with the ability to create testing rings, monitor updates, and even pause and roll back changes in the event that any problems are discovered.

In addition to this, the service includes provisions for an accelerated release cadence in the event that a threat is deemed to be of critical concern (e.g., a zero-day flaw).

According to the documentation provided by the company, "Windows Autopatch aims to keep at least 95 percent of eligible devices on the latest Windows quality update 21 days after release."

"When an accelerated release is being worked on, the regular goal [...] is no longer relevant. Instead, Windows Autopatch significantly hastens the release schedule of the release in order to bring about the environment's update in a more timely manner."