Tanium Patch Customer Success Story - Tanium Tech Talks #124

In this episode of Tanium Tech Talks, host Ashley McGlone sits down with Dennis, a veteran IT analyst with two decades of experience, to explore how Tanium transformed patching operations in a 24/7 enterprise. Dennis walks us through his journey from manual, line-by-line patching to a streamlined, automated process that dramatically improved compliance and efficiency.

Dennis explains how he leveraged Tanium’s Deploy and Patch modules, along with maintenance windows and custom tagging, to tailor patching workflows to business needs. He also shares how a Tech Talks episode on Zero Touch deployment sparked a complete overhaul of his approach—leading to better uptime, fewer disruptions, and a healthier work-life balance.

If you’re looking for real-world insights into how Tanium can simplify patching and elevate your IT operations, this episode is a must-watch.

Key takeaways

• Patch success rate improvement: Dennis achieved a remarkable increase in patch success rate from 45% to 97% after implementing Tanium. This improvement was driven by the automation capabilities of Tanium’s Deploy and Patch modules, which streamlined the patching process and reduced manual effort.
• Zero Touch deployment: The concept of Zero Touch deployment revolutionized Dennis’s approach to patching. By bundling patching tasks into automated workflows, Dennis was able to eliminate the need for line-by-line manual patching, significantly enhancing efficiency and accuracy.

Tanium works the way it’s supposed to work. The challenges will be getting every department and organizations to work together.

• Maintenance windows and custom tags: In a 24/7 business environment, Dennis utilized maintenance windows and custom tags to tailor patching schedules to the specific needs of different business units. This strategy allowed for flexible and non-disruptive patching, ensuring that critical systems remained operational while updates were applied.
• Bottom-up patching strategy: Dennis built a comprehensive patching strategy using Tanium’s modules, starting from maintenance windows, moving to deployments, and finally scheduling the patches. This structured approach ensured that patches were applied systematically and effectively across the organization.

To be able to now have the power to use deploy module, patch module, maintenance windows, things of that nature, I was able to bring our compliance numbers up.

• Better work-life balance: The automation and efficiency gains from Tanium’s patching solutions freed up Dennis’s time, allowing him to focus on higher-value tasks and projects. This shift not only improved his work-life balance but also enabled him to explore new opportunities for enhancing IT operations.
• Improved reporting and visibility: With the extra time gained from automated patching, Dennis began developing better reports and dashboards using Tanium’s built-in tools. These reports provided valuable insights to management and business units, highlighting areas for improvement and showcasing the success of the patching efforts.

With the numbers that I was able to show through Tanium and using Tanium, they now have put me in a different position… I’m gonna make this work for the whole environment.

• Promotion and expanded responsibilities: Dennis’s success with Tanium led to increased recognition and expanded responsibilities within his organization. His ability to demonstrate significant improvements in patch compliance earned him a broader role, overseeing patching operations for the entire business unit.

Additional resources

• Tanium Patch: Zero Touch + Self Service – Tanium Tech Talks #64
• Tanium Patch
• Tanium Deploy
• GigaOm Radar report for patch management solutions