Is it worth running on outdated technology?
When it comes to IT security, there’s nothing worse than aging hardware such as servers, routers or firewall equipment. Once this equipment reaches a certain age, it is no longer covered by warranty, it doesn’t support new updates and it is more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Not to mention, outdated technology can increasingly cost your business time, money and employee productivity.
When a server goes down it can bring your entire business to a halt. A lot of time can be wasted fixing the issue and dealing with unexpected downtime. Eventually, older machines cost more money to keep repairing than the cost of just buying a new one. A business depends on the productivity of the employees and when they have to take time out of their day to troubleshoot computer problems or deal with a constantly slow network caused by archaic equipment, they aren’t able to focus on the business tasks that really matter.
One piece of equipment that is really easy to overlook when upgrading your equipment is the router, especially if it’s still running stable and providing a solid connection to your devices, but it’s the device through which all your devices get their internet connection. Getting higher speeds from your internet service provider won’t make a difference if your router is too old to handle the connection speeds.
When a business is running from old equipment, that usually means it is also running on old operating systems. The minimum hardware requirements for new software is usually more demanding than the old equipment can handle. Without being able to update, you are stuck on an old OS and eventually it will reach its end of life. When this happens, Microsoft stops updating the system and you’re immediately open to hackers and viruses. Operating system upgrades ensure that you can get necessary patches and updates to avoid network intrusion.
The great thing about updating your technology on a predictable schedule is that you can create a budget and avoid unforeseen expenses, keep your employees productive and avoid losing any data or risking a huge lawsuit because you compromised your customer data.