Sometimes, when complex systems are put into place, the simplest and most fundamental tasks seem to be neglected. Updating your business' software should not be avoided. Software updates help secure your network and provide your company with an extra competitive edge. Don't risk your company's strengths by neglecting your software updates!

Naturally, the larger your business' IT infrastructure is, the more complex your upgrading process becomes. With many workstations in use, it's hard to track which ones need each available update. This kind of confusion is amplified for businesses whose employees utilize mobile device technology. A simple solution to this fundamental task is to host your critical applications on your company servers. This way, you don't have to think about each individual company device when installing updates, but simply install each update on your server. Not all software has this capability, so you have to remain diligent.

Here are a couple risks of running outdated software for your company.

Outdated Software Increases Security Issues
Outdated software is a ticking bomb of security risks for your company. One of the main properties of software updates is the security patch upgrades. Computer hackers certainly pay close attention to the release dates of security patches so they get tipped off to the vulnerabilities of the previous versions. Hackers then write code to specifically attack computers using the older versions of this software in order to extract personal and company data for personal gain. Most viruses carry the intention to hack into company servers via outdated operating systems (like Windows XP, set to expire April 8, 2014), company software, and mobile device apps. Once one of these is penetrated, it's time to dump a lot of time and money into playing cleanup, as your sensitive data like contact information, banking accounts, employee records, and more is stolen and exploited. The best kind of protection for your network is proactive protection, including software updates.

Outdated Software Cripples Workflow
Security issues are not the only risk of not updating your company software; your employee workflow can even be disrupted. For example, there are many applications that your company may use that create documents and files that aren't backwards compatible (files don't comply with previous versions of the software). If a team of your employees is working on the same project, but running different versions of the software, then compatibility issues may occur that block progress on the project. The best solution to this issue is to make sure you upgrade every copy of your software across your network, including mobile versions that your employees use.

Make Time to Upgrade
Your company needs to make system upgrades a priority. If you don't have one already, you should implement a workflow that allows for immediate upgrades. We understand the difficulty of juggling these system updates on every piece of company equipment on top of all of your other business tasks, but your company can't afford the risk of being hacked or having your employee productivity levels decrease.

Finding the necessary time to update your system and keep up with your network maintenance can be troublesome. Network Synergy can help. By outsourcing your IT needs to us, you'll be handing over this responsibility, and we won't disappoint. We upgrade all the important updates to your server while utilizing remote maintenance and monitoring tools that allow us to monitor your network in order to find outdated software and security vulnerabilities. From there, we upgrade your software remotely using our Remote Monitoring and Maintenance (RMM) tools, allowing you to focus on your business. This frees you of the responsibility of having to constantly monitor and update your software yourself, so you can get back to running your business. To learn more about Network Synergy's managed IT services, give us a call at (203) 261-2201.