IT providers wear many hats: technician, strategist, advisor, and protector. One of the most persistent and critical challenges you face? Keeping your clients’ systems secure and software up to date, especially across the dozens, or sometimes hundreds, of third-party applications running in each environment.
We’re excited to announce a major expansion to third-party patching in ConnectWise RMM™: you can now automate patch management for over 7,000 of the most widely used third-party applications using RMM policies.
This is more than just a bigger number; it’s a significant step forward in helping managed service providers (MSPs) and IT professionals streamline operations, close security gaps, and eliminate unnecessary or redundant tools. Here’s what this means for you and how to leverage it to your advantage.
Why third-party patching matters now more than ever
Security isn’t just about OS updates anymore. The average small and midsized business (SMB) uses 58 third-party apps, and in mid-market and enterprise organizations, that number can climb into the hundreds. Each of those apps is a potential vulnerability if left unpatched, making it critical to manage third-party patching effectively.
When patching workflows are fragmented, spread across the tool stack via scripts, manual checks, and separate tools, reporting is limited, and things can fall through the cracks. Unfortunately, attackers know it: Unpatched software promotes exploitable vulnerabilities. In fact, according to Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, 22% of vulnerability exploits came from VPN and endpoint devices.
By unifying patching inside ConnectWise RMM, you can:
- Prevent breaches with timely updates
- Meet compliance and audit standards
- Say goodbye to managing multiple patching tools
What’s new in ConnectWise RMM
With this release, you can:
- Patch over 7,000 third-party titles, including Chrome, Zoom, Adobe, Dropbox, Notepad, Slack, Discord, Brave, OBS Studio, and thousands more from ConnectWise RMM
- Replace custom scripts and tools that deliver just third-party patching
- Automate patching workflows across client environments
- Save hours of time previously spent on manual patching
- Gain centralized visibility and compliance reporting
- Offer more value and complete coverage without raising your costs
This upgrade is included for all ConnectWise RMM partners!
Tip for selling value to customers and leadership: The amount of apps covered by ConnectWise RMM is a major differentiator over tools that only cover a fraction of applications, leading techs to rely on additional solutions or spend hours manually patching software and often pass those licensing or labor costs on to end users. Consider using the following script when talking to your clients.
“The third-party applications your team members use have a significant impact on their productivity and the company’s overall security posture. Reduce vulnerabilities and enhance application performance through regular software updates. With the ability to automate patching for over 7,000 third-party application titles, you can rest assured that we have your needs covered.”
Real-world use cases
When surveyed, our partners said they prioritized a comprehensive third-party patching solution because third-party applications are often the most used software by end users. A reliable patching solution allows them to close security gaps, deliver on compliance commitments to customers, simplify non-OS patching automation, and provide evidence of the work being done continuously to protect and optimize their systems. ConnectWise RMM offers:
- Complete coverage: Platform solution, no more bouncing between tools
- Industry compliance: Demonstrate patching coverage and compliance
- Client confidence: Proactively reduce the risk of downtime or data loss
- Streamlined ops: Reduce technician time on patching-related tasks
- Tailored policies: Automate patching based on business needs, by application, site, and more
Talking points for MSPs and IT professionals
Whether you’re speaking to a prospective client or justifying an upgrade in your RMM solution to leadership, here are some talking points to help position the value:
- Security-first service: “We regularly patch not just Windows, but over 7,000 third-party apps that most IT providers overlook.”
- Unified platform: “Patch management is one element of the comprehensive visibility into a company’s attack surface, enabling us to identify and automatically mitigate factors that contribute to risk.”
- Lower total cost: “This reduces the need for separate patching tools, saving on software and support costs.”
- Proactive compliance: “We help you stay ahead of regulatory risks with real-time visibility into patching across operating systems and third-party tools.”
How ConnectWise RMM stacks up
When it comes to breadth of applications covered and ease of use, ConnectWise RMM leads the pack. If you’re looking for an RMM tool, always ask about the breadth of third-party applications covered and reporting capabilities. Consider that any commitments to your customers that are not available within your RMM solution will necessitate additional costs in labor or extra patching tools. Even for vendors who offer expanded capabilities, confirm if access to the full patching library would require additional costs or a separate tool and integration to manage.
ConnectWise RMM’s expanded third-party patching is available to all partners at no additional cost. Not only is patch management considered table stakes at ConnectWise, but our partners also benefit from the built-in Security Dashboard for a more holistic view of customer security posture. Partners also have access to the ConnectWise NOC assessment of all Windows OS security updates, which approves the good ones and blocks the troublesome ones, so you can confidently automate patching the most important updates.
What’s next?
The expanded third-party patching is available now! Current partners can refer to the third-party patching documentation for additional details, steps to set up the policy, and frequently asked questions here: Improved Third-Party Patching - ConnectWise
All ConnectWise RMM partners will automatically have access with no licensing change required.
Final thoughts
With over 7,000 third-party applications supported, ConnectWise RMM delivers one of the most complete patching solutions purpose-built for MSPs and IT teams. You can eliminate redundant tools, cut operational overhead, and provide more secure, reliable service to every customer, no matter their size or unique software stack.
It’s time to say goodbye to patching chaos and hello to unified control.
Not a ConnectWise RMM user yet, but want to see it in action?
Check out our on-demand patching demo chapter or sign up for a free trial today.
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