Federal & State Government Patch Management Solution

Patch management in air-gapped government networks works through a secure disconnected workflow. First, patches or updates are downloaded, tested, and verified on an internet-connected system. If everything works as expected, these updates are then transferred to the isolated network via cryptographically approved removable media under strict change control. Once uploaded to the air-gapped network, patches are tested again in a lab environment for potential conflicts or compatibility issues. After successful testing, an internal patch server distributes updates across all of the systems. The entire process maintains full audit logging and compliance with NIST 800-53 security controls while preserving complete network isolation.

Government agencies use a risk-free and staged approach to deploy patches in order to minimize downtime risks. First, they pick a small group of test systems to ensure patches are stable before proceeding to deploy them across all systems. Features like update rings are the perfect fit since you can create multiple rings (groups of endpoints) and set specific success metrics to control whether a patch should progress to the next ring or not. After successful pilot testing, patches automatically roll out in phases, starting with less critical systems and then gradually expanding to more important ones. If a patch causes an operational disruption, many patch management platforms offer a rollback feature that reverts the system(s) to a state before the patch deployment to instantly repair the problem. This phased approach is highly effective at identifying and fixing issues with minimal downtime risks while keeping their networks secure, compliant, and operational.

Using role-based access control, separation of duties, and audit logging ensures that employees have the right permissions, understand their specific tasks, and that everything done during the patching process is recorded.

Role-based access control ensures users only get the permissions they need for completing a specific job. For example, some can manage the entire process, while others can only review or create audit-ready reports. Separation of duties prevents errors, unauthorized changes, and accidental system disruptions. Meanwhile, audit logging records every action, like who deployed a specific patch, when it was deployed, and on which systems. This is of utmost importance, since these logs help investigators trace problems back to specific people and actions, ensuring everyone stays accountable.

These three mechanisms deliver the transparency, security controls, and accountability frameworks that government agencies require for regulatory compliance and risk management.

Government agencies can share one patch management platform through multi-tenancy while maintaining strict data separation between departments. For instance, Action1 allows you to create separate organizations for different departments or agencies, each with their own endpoints, data, settings, and users. With role-based access control, you can define granular permission levels—ensuring each employee gets exactly what they need within their specific organization. Some users manage the entire process, others only review reports, and some create audit-ready documentation. At the top level, leadership can still monitor everything, check patch and compliance status across systems, and ensure all departments follow the same security strategy. Growth is simple, too, allowing you to scale from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of endpoints without requiring additional infrastructure investments.