I’ve tracked Microsoft’s Windows patches for years and closely watched all of the changes the company has made. I remember when you had to install updates in a certain order — and watch for which one had to be installed first. I remember the arrival of automated patching using Software Update Services (later called Windows Server Update Services). I’ve seen how we went from a system where each vulnerability was patched individually to what we now have: cumulative patching.
The ideal patch is self-contained. Install, reboot, get back to your work. It causes no side effects. It protects the operating system. And you forget about it because it does what it’s supposed to do.
