The Dangers of Using Outdated Software
The effectiveness of your software depends on its most recent update. When a program reaches “End of Life” (EoL) or “End of Service” (EoS), it no longer gets critical updates and security fixes, putting your business at a grave risk.
Some people continue using outdated software because it still works. But this can lead to security problems, data loss, and other serious issues.
Let’s explore why using outdated software is risky and why you should act when your software reaches EoL or EoS.
The Risks of Using Outdated Software
There are three main risks when using outdated software: security, privacy, and productivity.
Security Risks
- You stop receiving security updates, leaving your system open to hackers.
- Cybercriminals may already know how to break into outdated software.
- Older software may not work well with new programs and devices, which can lead to lost or corrupted data.
- Outdated software can violate security policies, increasing business risks.
Privacy Risks
Outdated software can also put private data at risk. If the program stores sensitive information and is no longer supported, you could face serious privacy issues and even fines.
If you are storing sensitive data in software that is not current or no longer supported, you should consider the following to protect yourself:
- Fix software vulnerabilities quickly.
- Limit how much data the software collects and stores.
- Use multifactor authentication to add extra security.
- Give users the option to access and delete their data.
Productivity Risks
If your software runs slowly, crashes often, or is hard to use, it can hurt your business. Employees get frustrated, work slows down, and customers may have a bad experience. This can damage your reputation and cost you money.
Keeping software up to date helps prevent these problems and keeps your business running smoothly.
Work with Experts to Stay Secure
You already understand the risks of outdated software but fixing them can take time and effort. Working with an IT expert can make things easier.
We can help by:
- Identifying outdated software and hardware in your business.
- Keeping you informed about new security threats.
- Updating your systems to the latest, safest versions.
Learn more about how you can better secure your business.
