Keeping your software current, even when nothing seems to be malfunctioning or broken is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself from data loss, cyber-attacks, and future software updates. More on that last one in a minute.
I used to patch my bicycle tire [a lot] as a kid. I had the patch kit. I had the glue. I had the method of finding the leak. I got really good at patching tires. But I’ll tell you, I’ve learned a few things about bike tires since then. Rule One: Don’t ride in the grass (goat head thorns) are the devil. Rule Two: A patch is only a temporary fix. It should only get you home and that’s it. You really shouldn’t ride for the season on a tire that looks like a quilt. Every patch is a liability. It’s a potential repeat leak.
I use the bike tire analogy to illustrate the difference between a tire patch and a software patch. Computer programming is iterative. Software is never [done]. You’ve likely heard the overused software development analogy of rebuilding an airplane while it’s already in the sky? Well, picture that for a second. The software has to keep running for you and for your organization. You don’t have the time to uninstall old software before you install an updated version of it. This is the miracle of the software patch. You just keep upgrading and you just keep moving forward.
Are there risks to updating your software? Of course, but the benefits (most of the time) outweigh the threats by a huge margin. Sure there’s trust involved. You trust that Microsoft has a team of quality assurance engineers that have tested the new version of the software in a multitude of environments to assure that when you update your applications, all hell doesn’t break loose. Most of the time this is the case. Some software allows a rollback if something catastrophic happens during a patch. This is a critical consideration for business-critical systems. But for most updates, your iPhone for example, patching is a one-way street. Going back is very hard or impossible.
This article isn’t a scare tactic to convince you that you can’t do your own software patching for your business. It is intended to make you think about whether you [are] updated [everywhere] and whether this is a responsibility you personally want.
Software updates can bring huge benefits and simplify operations for your workforce and customers. But software patching doesn’t always go smoothly. Preactive IT offers a broad selection of Managed IT Services to meet your specific needs. Imagine Preactive IT monitoring all of your systems and managing your software updates for your organization. What a relief! Their pricing is transparent, you know what you are agreeing to and you know what you are getting.
And what are you getting – the peace of mind that your technology is current and problem-free. And when you encounter a problem, you know you have 24/7 support. Contact Preactive IT today.
