Hosted server changes during quarterly patch downtime

When it comes to the quarterly patching downtime for hosted servers, our Cloud Engineering Team doesn’t provide the specifics of the individual patches or updates applied during this maintenance window.
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Before any work begins, we’re taking a VM level snapshot of all servers. This is a crucial step as it allows us to have a backup of the server’s state prior to the patching.
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Next, we’re applying essential security patches and standard Operating System updates. It’s a comprehensive process designed to keep your servers running optimally and securely.
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Once the updates are applied, our support team completes smoke testing. This is a preliminary test that checks the basic functionality of the servers to ensure that the most crucial functions are working after the update.
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In the event that any issues arise immediately after the work has been completed, we’ll use the snapshot taken before the patching to roll back the servers to the pre-patching state. It’s our way of ensuring that we can quickly rectify any problems and minimise downtime.