What is a key benefit of automating cloud patch management?

• A. Automation eliminates the need for security reviews.
• B. Automation applies patches, updates configurations, and remediates vulnerabilities; reduces manual effort and drift; includes testing, rollback, and approvals.
• C. Automation only updates software without testing.
• D. Automation increases risk by removing controls.

Answer: (B)

Automating cloud patch management speeds up and standardizes the entire patch lifecycle across your environment. It not only applies patches, but also updates configurations to keep systems in the desired state and remediates vulnerabilities, all while reducing manual effort and configuration drift. Importantly, it includes testing to verify patches won’t disrupt services, a rollback plan to revert if something goes wrong, and approvals to enforce governance before changes are deployed. This combination delivers repeatability, governance, and lower risk. The other options aren’t correct because automation isn’t about skipping security reviews, it isn’t limited to updates without testing, and properly implemented automation actually reduces risk by maintaining controls and traceability.