Protecting businesses goes beyond ensuring email security and protection. It also involves securing technological tools.
As businesses continue to evolve due to changes in the market structure, consumer preferences, and laws, some technological innovations become outdated.
There are lots of technological innovations that have become outdated as they no longer receive support from the developer. Many organizations still use outdated technology and software applications because they are significant in their operations.
However, this introduces multiple technical problems because of the absence of maintenance and support.
Without vital security patches from the manufacturer, outdated technology can become a larger risk each month that goes by. It’s important to know what tools are reaching end of life (EOL), which means end of support, so you can remove them from all endpoints in your network. Here, we’ll discuss six technological tools that should be removed.
Why Outdated Technologies Should Be Uninstalled
Technological innovations can become outdated for several reasons. It could be because the provider created another version and is discontinuing support for the older one, or because a company has gone under, and thus is no longer supporting software that it sold.
Regardless of the reasons behind the vendor’s decision, using a product after it is no longer supported can eat into the organization’s finances. Thus, companies will invest more money into repairs and IT consulting.
There is also a problem of decreased security. Using outdated technologies is similar to rubbing alcohol on an open wound. The vendor will not provide security updates on the device. In addition, hackers know this and will often work harder to find and exploit code flaws in the older software.
Increased failure rates are also very common with tools that are no longer supported. Computer hardware or software that is outdated will often experience system downtime. This will affect customer relationships and may even damage the business brand.
6 Tools That Are No Longer Supported
1. Internet Explorer
The last version of Internet Explorer is Internet Explorer 11. Microsoft announced that Internet Explorer would not be supported for recent versions of Windows 10.
The developer announced that people using Internet Explorer would no longer receive support from June 15, 2022, onwards. It encouraged anyone who wants to make use of it to switch to Microsoft Edge.
The developer stated that IE Mode in Microsoft Edge will continue to receive support until 2029. So, companies needing to use IE to access legacy websites can safely do so through Edge.
2. Windows 7
Microsoft ended its support for Windows 7 on January 14, 2020. The company released an official statement to that effect. It maintained that it would no longer provide technical support or security updates.
As such, anyone still using Windows 7, may likely experience problems with the hardware and software. To this effect, the operating system is utterly vulnerable to cyberattacks.
3. Adobe Flash Player
Adobe stopped its support for Adobe Flash Player after December 31, 2020. Before discontinuing the product, the developer gave all users more than three years’ notice. The developer recommends that anyone who wants to protect their system should stop using the Flash Player as it will not provide security patches.
Cybercriminals may exploit the vulnerabilities of Flash and wreak havoc on an organization.
4. macOS 10.14 Mojave
Apple released a new operating software called MacOS 11 Big Sur.
As such, it was announced that Apple will no longer provide any form of support to computers that are still running on Mojave as of November 30, 2021.
As software support for computers using macOS 10.14 Mojave will end, it is advised that the necessary upgrades be made to avoid being exposed to breaches through OS vulnerabilities.
5. SQL Server 2012
In 2021, Microsoft stated that its support for SQL server 2012 would end on July 12, 2022.
This means that this technological tool will not receive any security patches for vulnerabilities. Even when an organization that uses it encounters any bug or error, Microsoft cannot resolve it.
However, this does not imply that SQL server 2012 will stop working. Of course, it won’t. It only means any severe issue in the tool can affect business operations as the developer will be incapable of resolving it.
In addition, the absence of software updates or support can cause severe errors that will introduce database errors that may impede the organization’s operations.
Organizations and individuals using it are expected to migrate to SQL Server 2019 to reduce the likelihood of cybercriminals accessing sensitive information.
6. Android 7 Nougat
Android 7 Nougat became unsupported after October 2019. Google no longer offers any form of support for this mobile operating system.
Android devices that used Android 7 started experiencing connection problems on September 1, 2021.
Anyone still using Android 7 Nougat will experience difficulties. So, people are advised to update their phones to a recent version to avoid creating easy access for cybercriminals.
Keep Your Organization a Step Ahead
You don’t have to wait until your hardware or software is no longer supported before you do the right thing. Such carelessness or procrastination can cause your business to experience significant losses.
Contact us at (559) 297- 1007 to upgrade your computer hardware or software or reach us online.