Why Windows Updates Matter — and What You Need to Know

How Microsoft Updates Work

One of the most effective ways to stay protected from cybersecurity threats is to ensure that updates are applied promptly after release. While Windows and iOS devices are designed to install updates automatically, we go further by setting policies that prioritize important security updates and closely monitoring each device to ensure updates are successfully deployed.

Why Timely Updates Matter

Patches—included in quality and expedited updates—are designed to close known vulnerabilities in the operating system. These vulnerabilities act like hidden backdoors that cybercriminals can use to break into your system. Once a vulnerability becomes publicly known, hackers move quickly to exploit it, often before standard security measures can respond. That’s why it’s so important to install these updates as soon as possible.

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1. Microsoft Defender Antivirus Updates

These are frequent, automatic updates to keep your device protected from the latest known threats:

• Security Intelligence Updates: Released multiple times per day, these update the antivirus definitions used to detect malware.
• Platform Updates: Improve the antivirus engine itself.
• Engine Updates: Core code updates that enhance scanning and detection capabilities.

🛡️ Why it matters: Your antivirus is only as good as its latest update. These updates help block zero-day threats before they can harm your system.

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2. Quality Updates

These are monthly patches, typically released on the second Tuesday of each month (known as Patch Tuesday). They include:

• Security patches
• Bug fixes
• Performance improvements

They don’t include new features but are essential to patch vulnerabilities and ensure smooth operation.

🛠️ Why it matters: Delaying these updates increases the risk of known vulnerabilities being exploited by cybercriminals.

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3. Feature Updates

These are major upgrades to Windows, typically released once per year:

• For example, Windows 11 version 23H2 introduced several interface and productivity improvements.
• Feature updates are supported for 24 months on business editions like Pro and Enterprise.

🧩 Why it matters: These upgrades may include new functionality, security enhancements, and UI improvements that support modern work environments.

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4. Driver Updates

Driver updates keep hardware components like printers, video cards, and Wi-Fi adapters working properly.

• These updates are delivered as needed, usually alongside other updates or through optional update channels.
• Admins can control whether drivers are automatically updated using Windows Update for Business policies.

🔧 Why it matters: Outdated drivers can cause crashes, compatibility issues, or prevent features from working.

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5. Expedited Updates (for Emergencies)

Sometimes, Microsoft releases critical out-of-band updates for serious threats. These can be pushed using Intune’s expedited updates setting.

🔥 Why it matters: These updates fix vulnerabilities actively being exploited and must be applied immediately to avoid breaches.

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How We Manage and Monitor Updates

At Excelero IT, we use Microsoft Intune to manage update deployment across all devices. We receive daily reports that show the update status of each device. If an update fails to install automatically, we’ll often reach out to manually resolve the issue.

Sometimes, devices may fail to install updates due to various technical reasons. In such cases, manual intervention is necessary. Our system also alerts us if a device has been offline and unable to receive updates. If a device remains out of date for too long, we flag it for review and organise to fix the problem.

We also use Windows Defender to:

• Scan devices regularly
• Ensure real-time protection is active
• Confirm that virus definitions (signatures) are up to date

Best Practice for Feature Updates

We usually delay the rollout of Feature Updates by 90 to 120 days. This waiting period allows time for any bugs or compatibility issues to be addressed before we install them on client devices.

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Summary Table

Update Type	Purpose	Frequency
Security Intelligence (Defender)	Detect latest viruses and malware	Multiple times per day
Quality Updates	Security patches, bug fixes, performance	Monthly (Patch Tuesday)
Feature Updates	New functionality, UI updates	Annually
Driver Updates	Hardware compatibility and fixes	As needed
Expedited Updates	Emergency patches for critical vulnerabilities	As released (rare)

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Final Thought

You can’t assume that updates are working just because they are set to “automatic.” Updates must be actively monitored to ensure they are installed correctly. That’s why we take a proactive approach—because your security can’t be left to chance.