Oracle is moving to a quarterly schedule for security fixes, just three months after adopting a monthly system.

From 18 January, the database giant will issue four updates a year, which it said would make patches easier to deploy. Fixes for severe flaws could still be released outside this schedule.

The timing of the releases also ensures they never fall awkwardly for the firm's financial results, which will appear a month before the patches. Share prices are typically most volatile close to quarterly results, and the patching schedule means Oracle will not have to explain flaws at sensitive times.

Sherief Hammad of research firm Next Generation Security Software said many firms would welcome less frequent patching as it reduces costs. "[But] it's a question of whether these benefits outweigh the risk of waiting up to three months for patches," he said.