Why you shouldn’t use old software

This may be obvious to some, but we come across many computer systems where old software, which is no longer supported by the company that produced it, is being used daily for core business purposes.

There are many reasons this isn’t a good idea.

Lack of support and security updates

If the software is no longer supported, and no new security updates are being produced for it, that leaves you with a great big hole in your Cyber Security defences. It might be that an exploit is found and made use of by Cyber Criminals, but as the software is no longer supported, no “fix” for it will ever be produced, leaving you permanently exposed.

Just a few examples of old software that is no longer supported are:

• Windows 7 – The computer operating system from Microsoft
• Windows 2008 Server – The server operating system from Microsoft
• Microsoft Office 2010 – The Office software for documents from Microsoft

If you’re using these, your immediate focus should be on moving on to newer, fully supported software to keep you secure and productive.

Downtime caused by old software

Whilst you may be happy sailing along using old software because “it just works”, this is a disaster waiting to happen. When the old software stops working properly, which it will, where does this leave you? If the company that produced the software in the first place don’t support it, you’ll more than likely discover that other companies won’t provide support for it either. 

Our basic rule within our own business is that if the software company no longer supports the product, then we’re also unable to support it. It’s that simple. There is no point trying to cling onto old systems and software, sooner or later that approach will come back to haunt you.

Costs

Moving onto newer software, which is fully supported, will in many cases mean spending some money. So, why have we listed Costs as a reason not to use old software? Well, you have to look at the bigger picture. If you don’t invest in keeping up-to-date, initially you might save a few pounds. But when the old flaky software grinds to a halt, and your business can’t operate without it, where does that leave you? I’d imagine for every hour and every day your business is unable to operate because the old software is broken, far exceeds the actual investmentment in up-to-date software in the first place. In short, it’s a false economy thinking you’re saving money by not making an investment in keeping up with the times.

So there we have it, a few practical reasons about not using old software. Move on. Keep yourself and your business supported and protected.

Gavin Moorhouse is the owner of Lucid Computer Solutions, a computer and solutions business based in Redditch, Worcestershire. This article was produced using up-to-date software.