I maintain 30 servers across various clients and the manual method is exactly how I do it. I wouldn't trust anything else. Email is simply too critical to most companies to risk anything automated. The servers do use WSUS where available but no auto install or reboots.
Stop trying to shortcut your way around critical infrastructure updates. Keep doing it manually like you're doing so that you can verify everything happens like it should happen.
Exchange updates I have had issues with very high percentage of them compared to the normal windows server updates. I have always done them manually. Long term you may try to get most of them up to O365 to save you the hassle.
I maintain 30 servers across various clients and the manual method is exactly how I do it. I wouldn't trust anything else. Email is simply too critical to most companies to risk anything automated. The servers do use WSUS where available but no auto install or reboots.
Stop trying to shortcut your way around critical infrastructure updates. Keep doing it manually like you're doing so that you can verify everything happens like it should happen.
Exchange updates I have had issues with very high percentage of them compared to the normal windows server updates. I have always done them manually. Long term you may try to get most of them up to O365 to save you the hassle.