Patch Tuesday

The second Tuesday of each month: the date Microsoft publishes its monthly bundle of security updates.

For a Windows estate this is the actual pulse of patch planning. The list appears, security assesses it, and infrastructure has to find windows. Anyone who starts looking for windows only after the list lands begins every month already behind.

What to do about it

The cadence is known a year ahead. You can book the recurring maintenance windows before the content exists and fill them once it does. A window you booked and did not need is easy to cancel; a window you have to negotiate from scratch after the release takes weeks.