Third-party applications sit at the center of daily business operations. Browsers, collaboration platforms, PDF readers, development tools, and line-of-business software all fall outside the operating system but remain essential to how work gets done. While operating system patching has matured over time, third-party application patching continues to challenge even well-resourced IT teams.
Despite advances in endpoint management platforms and security tooling, many organizations still struggle to keep non-Microsoft applications consistently up to date. To fix it, you first have to understand why it keeps happening.
Challenges with third-party patching
Scale is one of the most persistent challenges. In fact, a recent study of 1,050 global IT leaders showed respondents use 897 applications on average, with 45% using more than 1,000. This means SysAdmins must support hundreds or thousands of apps, each with its own release cadence, installer behavior, dependencies, versions, and update mechanisms. As application portfolios expand, tracking what is installed and what needs attention becomes increasingly difficult.
Manual processes compound the problem. Many IT teams still rely on administrators to monitor vendor websites, package updates, test installers, and schedule deployments. Even when automation exists, it often requires ongoing maintenance. This work is repetitive, time-consuming, and easy to deprioritize when higher impact issues arise.
Limited visibility further slows progress. Without a centralized view of installed applications and versions, teams struggle to understand their true patching posture. Asset inventories may be incomplete or outdated, particularly for remote devices that do not consistently connect to corporate networks. This lack of insight makes prioritization hard and leaves outdated software in production longer.
Testing and validation also introduce delays. Application updates can bring breaking changes, licensing prompts, or user experience issues. To reduce risk, teams often feel pressure to test every update thoroughly, even when security fixes are involved. As a result, deployments are delayed and exposure windows grow.
Tooling fragmentation adds friction. Organizations frequently rely on a mix of platforms such as ConfigMgr and Intune, each with different strengths and limitations. Managing third-party patching across multiple UEM platforms can lead to inconsistent processes, duplicated effort, and gaps in coverage.
The risks of ignoring the patching problem
When third-party patching falls behind, the impact extends beyond inconvenience. Operationally, outdated applications increase support tickets, compatibility issues, and user downtime. Help desks spend valuable time troubleshooting problems that timely updates could have prevented.
Security risk is even more significant, as evidenced by CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog of more than a thousand active threats. Many vulnerabilities exploited in real-world incidents originate in widely used third-party software. When updates are delayed or skipped, known vulnerabilities remain exposed longer than necessary, expanding the attack surface.
Compliance and audit readiness also suffer. Auditors often expect organizations to demonstrate consistent patching practices across both operating systems and applications. Gaps in third-party patching can result in findings that require remediation plans, additional reporting, or follow-up reviews.
These risks compound over time. Each unmanaged application adds complexity, making it harder to regain control as environments continue to grow and change.
Principles for simplifying third-party patching
Simplifying third-party patching starts with principles, not tools. Clear guidance helps teams design processes that scale.
Automation is foundational. Manual patching does not scale as application portfolios grow. Automation reduces human error and allows teams to focus on oversight rather than repetitive tasks.
Centralized visibility is equally important. Teams need a reliable view of what applications are installed, which versions are in use, and where gaps exist. Without this context, even automated workflows can miss critical updates.
Standardization reduces variability. Consistent packaging approaches, deployment models, and testing criteria make patching more predictable and easier to manage across teams and platforms.
Prioritization ensures effort is focused where it matters most. Not every application carries the same level of risk or business impact. Clear prioritization allows teams to address high impact updates first without attempting to patch everything at once.
Lifecycle thinking ties these principles together. Third-party patching should be treated as an ongoing process that includes deployment, updating, and retirement. Removing outdated versions is just as important as installing new ones.
Tools to simplify application patching
Modern patching tools like Application Workspace and Right Click Tools Patching reduce complexity by automating large portions of the full application lifecycle. These solutions can discover installed software, deploy updates, and remove outdated versions with minimal manual effort.
If you’re using ConfigMgr or Intune, Recast’s patching tools extend your existing infrastructure rather than replace it. This approach allows teams to build on familiar workflows while gaining coverage for third-party application management.
When evaluating solutions, capabilities matter more than feature lists. Automation, visibility, and lifecycle support should guide decisions, along with the ability to reduce manual effort and shorten the time between release and deployment.
Best practices for long-term success
Sustainable third-party patching requires alignment with broader IT practices. Change management processes should account for application updates, including communication and rollback planning.
Clear ownership is essential. Teams need defined responsibility for monitoring updates, approving deployments, and managing exceptions. Ambiguity often leads to delays and missed updates.
Testing at scale can be simplified by grouping applications based on risk and impact. Not every update requires the same level of validation, and tiered approaches help balance speed and stability.
Key metrics
Measuring effectiveness helps teams refine their approach over time. Common metrics include application coverage and time to patch, which reflects how quickly updates are deployed after release. Update success rates and reductions in unmanaged applications provide additional insight into progress.
Third-party application patching remains challenging, but it does not have to remain unmanageable. With the right principles, practices, and supporting tools, organizations can turn patching into a reliable, repeatable process.
Learn more
Right Click Tools Patching is heavily focused on patching, compliance, and integration with Microsoft ConfigMgr and Intune, making it a strong fit for environments that already rely on Microsoft’s endpoint management solutions for application deployment and patching.
Application Workspace takes a broader approach focused on app delivery, lifecycle control, and self-service, working alongside Intune, ConfigMgr, and VDI platforms. Both end users and IT teams get a better experience.
Request a demo to explore the options.
Questions? We're here to help.
Find answers to Right Click Tools frequently asked questions.
