Security News > 2020 > September > Microsoft Announces Public Preview of Automatic VM Guest Patching in Azure
Microsoft this week announced the public preview of new functionality to automatically deliver security patches to Windows virtual machines in Azure.
Called automatic VM guest patching, the feature is meant to improve the update management of Windows VMs to ensure security compliance through the automatic delivery of necessary patches.
Should the new feature be enabled, periodic assessment of the VM is performed, to determine if any applicable security updates are available, and all those patches that are classified as critical or security are automatically downloaded and installed, the company explains.
The patching process is automatically performed monthly, when Microsoft releases new security fixes through the Windows Update mechanism.
Automatic VM guest patching is compatible with all VM sizes and the health of the virtual machine is monitored to identify any patching failures.