Among the updates that we ignore most are driver updates, and sometimes for good reason. There have been plenty of cases wherein a driver update caused more harm than good. This could be due to two reasons. One, the user blindly clicked the update without taking a minute to read what the update actually achieves, or two, the user was not equipped to understand what the update achieves.
Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: we cannot leave the cybersecurity of an organization up to chance. It’s best if the IT admin of the organization has the power to decide what updates are needed and when to install them. ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus gives IT admins this power by extending its patch management capabilities to driver and BIOS updates.
Why are driver updates important?
Though driver updates may seem optional, sometimes they come with important security fixes that cannot be ignored. Here are some reasons to update your drivers.
1. Drivers missing or corrupted: Since drivers help you connect hardware devices to your PCs, it’s important to have them intact to access or work with those hardware devices. Updating your drivers will help in case the previous version is corrupted or missing.
2. Hardware issues: Unable to hear sound due to an outdated sound card driver? Fix it by installing the latest update of the driver.
3. New features: Updates might come with enhancements or new features. So if your organization requires any of those features, be sure to update the drivers to the latest version.
4. Driver security problems: A vulnerability in the driver can be exploited by threat actors. So if there are potential security threats associated with old versions of your drivers, it’s important to update them to the latest version, as the latest version will likely contain patches to fix the vulnerability.
5. Improve performance: If you feel your computer is running slow or lagging, it might be time to update the drivers. Out-of-date drivers influence the overall performance of your computer.
With Patch Manager Plus, you can choose from a variety of supported update methods and create an Automated Patch Deployment (APD) task to automatically install the updates that you choose as and when they’re found missing in your target systems.
For a complete list of the driver and BIOS updates that we support, check out our supported applications list. Try Patch Manager Plus’ free, 30-day trial to see firsthand the features it has to offer.
