Standardise the application list per role before automating anything: everyone gets the productivity suite, a browser, the PDF reader and the remote support agent; designers add the creative suite; finance adds the accounting client. A written role-to-application map turns onboarding into a selection, not an interview.
Deploy centrally: Intune apps, Windows Package Manager, or the MDM's application catalogue for Macs. Required assignments install silently; available assignments let users self-serve from a company portal, which cuts tickets dramatically for legitimate optional software.
Patching covers three layers: the operating system, the browsers, and third-party applications. Third-party is where small businesses get breached — an ancient PDF reader or an unpatched remote-access tool. Set update rings (pilot group first, then everyone a week later) so a bad update does not stop the whole office.
Track what is installed. An application inventory answers licence questions, security questions, and 'who still has that old app' questions in one query.