The Trouble with Windows Updates

Microsoft hopes that the Windows Autopatch service will address several problems it sees in updating Windows, but the problems are made worse by Microsoft’s own updating policies, including the following:

Security gap. The security gap, in Microsoft’s terms, is the time between when a Quality update is released and the point at which it is deployed to all the devices that need it. This gap exists because of the need for organizations to test Microsoft-released patches that sometimes have inherent issues or that mix Feature or experience updates with otherwise urgent Quality updates, which often occurs.

Productivity gap. The productivity gap, as Microsoft calls it, is the time between when a Feature update is released and it is installed on all compatible devices. However, the productivity gap often exists because of cosmetic interface changes that require revisions to in-house user training and documentation before these updates can be widely deployed, a situation which can be exacerbated when Quality (bugfix and security patches) and Feature updates are intermingled.