Introducing Parallel Patching in QRadar SIEM

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, ensuring that your systems are up-to-date and secure is paramount. IBM’s QRadar SIEM is a cornerstone for security information and event management, and with the new Parallel Patching feature, the process of updating and securing QRadar deployments becomes significantly more efficient.

What is Parallel Patching?

Parallel Patching introduces a faster and more efficient way of patching an entire QRadar deployment by patching all managed hosts simultaneously. This is a major upgrade from the traditional patching method where hosts were patched one at a time, consuming a considerable amount of time. With Parallel Patching, organizations can now significantly reduce the time it takes to apply patches across their environments, minimizing downtime and ensuring faster deployment of important security updates.

Features and Benefits of Parallel Patching:

Simultaneous Patching Across Hosts: The core improvement of Parallel Patching is the ability to update all attached managed hosts at the same time. Instead of patching hosts sequentially, you can now patch multiple hosts in parallel, which cuts down on the overall patching time.

Pre-staging of Patches: One of the standout features is the option to pre-stage the patch on all managed hosts in the deployment ahead of time. This allows the patch files to be copied to the hosts before the actual patching process begins. Pre-staging can be done days or even weeks in advance, which helps reduce downtime by having everything ready when patching starts. This pre-staging process is optimized to ensure minimal strain on your network. Once the patch files are staged, the patching process itself becomes faster and more streamlined.

Faster, Efficient Deployment: With Parallel Patching, the patch process starts with the console. Once the console is successfully patched, the system moves on to patch the managed hosts in parallel, skipping hosts that are either already patched, unreachable, or already running a patch. The ability to patch multiple hosts simultaneously leads to time savings of over two hours compared to the traditional patching method.

Reduced Downtime: By patching multiple hosts at once, organizations can significantly reduce the downtime required to apply updates.

Comprehensive Reporting: Parallel Patching comes with built-in monitoring and reporting features, allowing for real-time updates on the patching process.

How It Works:

Step 1: Patch All Hosts in Parallel

This option stages the patch files on all hosts and immediately begins the patching process. If the patch files are already staged, QRadar will verify their integrity by checking the SHA-256 hash to ensure that they match the original file. Once the patching begins, the console is updated first, and if successful, the managed hosts are updated next.

Step 2: Pre-staging the Patch Files

This optional step allows users to stage the patch files on the managed hosts ahead of time. The patch files are copied from the console to the hosts, and QRadar checks for the existence of these files before proceeding with the patch. If the files are already present and verified, the system skips the copy process.

Step 3: Monitoring the Patching Process

Parallel Patching provides a live report that allows administrators to monitor the status of each host during the patching process. You can track the percentage of completion for each host and get immediate feedback if a host fails during the patching process. If one host fails, the others will continue to be patched without disruption.

Step 4: Checking the Patching Status

Administrators can also view a high-level overview of the patching process, which includes the status of the patch files, whether a host is patched, and if the patching process is currently running on any of the hosts.

Time Savings and Efficiency

The image above compares the traditional patching process (Patch All) with the new Parallel Patching method. In a standard patching scenario, the process is carried out sequentially, which can take several hours as each host is updated one at a time. With Parallel Patching, however, all managed hosts are updated simultaneously, reducing the overall time to patch by over two hours. This efficiency is especially valuable in large-scale deployments where there are numerous managed hosts to patch.

Conclusion

Parallel Patching is a significant advancement in the QRadar SIEM patching process, providing a faster, more efficient method for keeping systems up-to-date. By introducing simultaneous patching across all managed hosts and the ability to pre-stage patch files, this new feature minimizes downtime, reduces the complexity of the patching process, and ensures critical updates are applied in a timely manner. For organizations looking to enhance their QRadar patch management, Parallel Patching is the solution that will save both time and effort.

Embrace the future of patch management with Parallel Patching, and keep your QRadar deployment secure and updated with minimal downtime!