Achieve better patch compliance with Update Connectivity data

Many thanks for the feedback on this blog! Based on your comments and questions thus far, I wanted to clarify a few points.

While there’s a perception taken from this post that eight hours are required for a device to successfully download, install, and reboot for updates, in reality the majority of updates start and finish in less than an hour. The six “total connected hours” (not eight) I cited in this post are based on studies that include devices that are infrequently used, often only online for a few minutes across multiple hours, have intermittent connectivity, and are often running on battery power.

Windows Update utilizes logic to identify the best time to update a device, such as when the device is plugged in or when we won’t disrupt user productivity. This can lead to the perception that updates take a while; however, in reality, the update process is often waiting for an optimal time to download and install.

Devices with insufficient update connectivity that haven't updated, but don’t have any other blocking errors, are simply not remaining connected long enough to update due to the reasons cited above. Knowing this enables organizations to choose from several options to measure overall results, or try to address those specific devices, in a way that best suits their priorities and requirements.

We want to emphasize that there’s choice and control for IT professionals and end users, and that making updates smaller and less disruptive is a top priority. Recent work in this area has been highlighted in posts discussing the 40% reduction in update size and other cumulative update improvements.

The recommendations in our guide to Optimizing Windows Update Adoption recommend using sleep settings, as opposed to full shut down or hibernate, so that a device can reboot while the user is away, while also getting the benefits of power savings and keeping the device protected and productive. IT admins can leverage sleep setting policies to manage a device’s connected state and ultimately raise the likelihood that devices are successfully updated before switching to a higher power saving policy normally used by devices in the organization.

-David