1. A software update system for use in a computer network to automatically deploy software updates, wherein the computer network includes a host that executes an operating system and process control software, and a process control layer in which the host operates and a secure layer that separates the process control layer from an external network, wherein the process control software controls operation of a process plant having one or more controllers, field devices and user interfaces that perform steps to perform physical control of the process plant; the automated software update system comprising: a first client application, stored as a first set of instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, to receive a set of software objects associated with the operating system from a first server communicatively coupled to the process plant for updating the operating system in the computer network, wherein the first server communicatively coupled to the process plant is operated by a provider of the operating system; a second client application, stored as a second set of instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, to receive metadata related to the software objects from a second server communicatively coupled to the process plant, wherein the second server communicatively coupled to the process plant is operated by a provider of the process control software; wherein the metadata specifies which of the set of software objects have been approved by the provider of the process control software for use with the process control software and the operating system being executed on the host; wherein the second client application is further adapted to specify which of the software objects are to be deployed to the host that executes the operating system and process control software; and wherein the second client application includes: a front-end module to be run in the secure layer and receive the metadata from the second server communicatively coupled to the process plant via the external network; and a back-end module to be run in the process control layer and receive the metadata from the front-end module.