The Dangers of Running Legacy Software

Some make the mistake of not rushing to upgrade the software because it is still functional. However, outdated software can lead to security risks, data loss, compliance issues, exponential support expenses, and more.

Let’s discuss the primary implications of running outdated software and why taking action is crucial when your software reaches EoL or EoS.

Implications of Using Outdated Software

The implications of running outdated software can be divided into three categories: security implications, privacy implications, and productivity implications.

‍Security Implications

‍Using outdated software can have severe security implications, such as:

• You no longer receive security patches from the vendor, leaving your system vulnerable to known exploits.
• Threat actors may have already reverse-engineered the software and developed exploit code, making it easier for them to compromise your system.
• Running outdated software may cause compatibility issues with other software and hardware, leading to data loss or corruption.
• Using outdated software may violate your organization’s security policies, hindering a secure future and operational excellence.‍

Privacy Implications

‍Privacy implications of using outdated software can be severe. If the software is no longer supported by its vendor and contains sensitive information, you could be at risk of receiving a data privacy fine.

Productivity implications

‍Outdated software can have severe productivity implications for a business. For example, if the software runs slowly, crashes frequently, or is otherwise difficult to use, it can frustrate employees and disrupt workflows. This can, in turn, lead to a poor customer experience, damaging a company's reputation and bottom line. Therefore, it is important to keep software up to date to avoid these problems.

Collaborate For Success

You’ve already taken the first step toward securing your company by recognizing the dangers of using outdated software. However, mitigating the above implications may be a heavy lift for your business, requiring extra time and effort. Partnering with an IT service provider like Clearview can ease your worry.

To protect your business, we can help you identify outdated software and hardware. We can keep you up to date on the latest security threats and how to mitigate them. We can also update your systems to the latest versions to ensure the best possible protection.

Get started with a no-obligation consultation.