01Windows updates prevent bugs, but can create them
Windows updates are an important part of a functional network, but sometimes they need to be vetted. Some updates come with bugs that can slow down or halt operations in a dental setting. Trusting your IT provider to run updates is an important way to prevent installations that bog down your network. You should still understand how that process works and ask for confirmation that there is a plan to address updates regularly. We can’t speak for all IT companies, but we can give you a glimpse behind the curtain at how we run this process for our clients.
02Windows updates, Darkhorse style
Proactive approaches prevent problems before they arise. That is our philosophy, so we implemented a system for Windows updates across all clients. When a practice engages with Darkhorse Tech, we install our agent on their systems. It lets us remote in to provide top-level tech support, examine system details without manually connecting, and schedule Windows updates directly to their computers.
A key step is downloading updates to our secure systems, examining them, and approving the ones that are both safe and applicable to our clients. We use a program called Automate, which schedules connections and updates to computers without user interaction. Updates are usually scheduled after hours on a Saturday or Sunday, typically in the early morning, so they don’t affect business operations.
Normal updates include
- Microsoft operating system updates (Windows 10, 11, 7, etc.)
- Recommended driver updates (drivers are small programs that let your computer use internal devices like your graphics card)
- Firmware updates (hard-coded commands that let your system use its components, for example telling the motherboard how to communicate with your processor, RAM, or hard drive)
03Benefits of the Darkhorse approach
A successful update process launched from Automate keeps your systems updated regularly and cuts down troubleshooting and resolution times for any issues that occur. Automate schedules and pushes approved updates and restarts at approved times. If you check Windows Update during a regular day, it may say updates are waiting. That’s because the system was offline during the update window, or the updates downloaded between windows.
If you check your update history, you may see that no updates have been installed. This is misleading. The update history visible to users only records updates Windows itself ran, while Automate uses behind-the-scenes processes that require as little user interaction as possible, so Windows doesn’t log them. Not to fear: Automate keeps a log of every update successfully installed on each computer, and like any responsible IT partner, we are happy to share these logs.
04How you can help ensure successful updates
Automate lets us service clients as seamlessly as possible, but some user involvement is required: computers must be powered on during the update window. If a computer is offline during its scheduled time, the update fails, and it does not restart when the computer comes back on. It is attempted again at the next scheduled window. Computers that miss multiple windows fall out of date, slow down, get buggy, and affect your office.
If you aren’t a Darkhorse Tech client, ask your IT partner to set optimal power settings so your computers are accessible without draining your bank account in off-hours, and work out a power plan that keeps computers available during maintenance and update windows.
Wrapping up
For Darkhorse Tech clients, Windows updates are governed by our Automate system. Approved updates download automatically to the computers that need them and install only during set update windows, so it is vital that systems are on during those windows. Automate doesn’t update the Windows Update log, but we keep a log of every update processed and installed on each system and are happy to share it with you.
About Darkhorse Tech
Whether you’re just starting out or a well-established organization, Darkhorse Tech has the experience and technology to help get you moving, cut costs, and streamline your operations with unlimited IT support. We help you do what you do best: provide top-notch care and service for patients, not deal with IT problems, time spent on hold with technical support, or complicated technical mishaps. Our additional security services include:
- Unlimited remote and/or on-site IT support of all your hardware and software
- Improved network performance and security
- HIPAA-compliant off-site and local backup service (Darkhorse Secure Backup)
- Managed antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-ransomware (Darkhorse Security Products)
- Compliance and security law standards
- Microsoft security patch management
- Vendor management: we will be on the phone, not your employees
- Secure, remote access to your office
- Firewall management
- Network management
- Long-term planning and budgeting
Contact us anytime to learn more about our dental-specific solutions and unlimited support packages. Read our reviews or call us today at 800.868.4504.
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