Farewell to Patch Policies, Hello Automations!

We’re excited to announce another major step forward at Level as we continue to enhance our platform. In December 2024 we’ll be phasing out Patch Policies and fully embracing Automations—our next-generation tool that offers more control, flexibility, and reliability for your patch management needs.

Patch Policies have been a reliable part of our platform, but they've had their limitations. With Automations, we’re giving you the power to create more sophisticated workflows with features that Patch Policies simply can't match. These improvements reflect a broader shift from manual workflows to IT automation tools that streamline operations across the board.

Problems with Patch Policies

• No control over pre- or post-actions: Patch Policies didn't allow for any additional steps to be taken before or after a patch. This meant less flexibility in ensuring your systems were prepared and secure throughout the patching process.
• Limited triggers: Patch Policies could only be triggered based on tags, limiting the conditions under which you could manage updates.‍
• No 3rd party patching of apps: Patch Policies did not include the ability to patch third-party applications, limiting the scope of your patch management.
• No retries: If a patch failed, there was no built-in retry mechanism to try again automatically, which could leave systems unpatched without immediate visibility.

Why Automations Are the Future of Patch Management

With Automations, you gain access to a more powerful patching tool. It lets you take control of every part of the process and aligns closely with modern RMM automation practices:

• Pipeline of Actions: Automations can include multiple actions. You can take pre-patch steps like enabling maintenance mode, notifying users, or creating system restore points. After patching, you can perform additional actions like verifying system health, checking security status, and disabling maintenance mode. The power to control each step is in your hands.
• Flexible Triggers: Automations provide more than just tag-based triggers. You can initiate patch actions on a set schedule, for specific device groups, or under other conditions, giving you the flexibility to meet your unique needs.
• 3rd Party App Patching: With Automations, you can add an action to patch third-party apps right after you patch the operating system, ensuring your entire environment is up to date.
• Retry Handling: Automations come with retry functionality, ensuring that patches don’t just fail silently. If an issue arises, Automations will attempt to retry, providing you with more reliable patch compliance. This approach is all about replacing scripts with automation that scales easily and reliably.

Migration Path: What You Need to Know

We want to make this transition as smooth as possible. Here’s how we’re handling it:

• Automatic Migration: When Patch Policies are deprecated, Level will take care of migrating your existing policies to Automations. We’ll match your existing schedules, targets, categories, and delays, ensuring continuity. Once migrated, you’ll have full control to tweak these new Automations to suit your needs.
• Manual Migration: Prefer to migrate on your own? You can start today. Create Automations that replicate your current Patch Policy configurations—including schedule, targets, and more. Add additional steps like user notifications, maintenance mode toggles, or system restore points. Once you've replicated your policies into Automations, you can delete the old Patch Policies. That way, when deprecation occurs, there will be no need for Level to migrate them.

We’re targeting December 2024 for full deprecation, but you can get ahead of the curve now and start experiencing the benefits of Automations today.

What's Next?

We’re incredibly excited about these changes and the enhanced control and reliability Automations bring to patch management. Whether you're adopting Automations for patching or exploring how they can automate IT tasks across other workflows, the value is clear. You can also browse and use prebuilt scripts from the Level Library to jumpstart your automation setup. As always, we’re here to help and would love to hear your feedback as you make the transition.

Thank you for being a part of the Level community. Let's embrace the future of IT management together!