Patch compliance is invisible until it becomes a breach.
Most organizations run vulnerability scans periodically. Between scans, servers drift. Patches go missing. Configurations change. By the time the next scan runs, the exposure window has been open for weeks.
For organizations under CMMC, NIST 800-171, or CIS compliance mandates, patch status is not just a security concern — it is a documented control requirement. Failing to maintain evidence of patching history is a compliance failure, regardless of whether a breach occurred.