You might have heard us talk about your technology reaching its ‘end of life’ but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is no longer working.
Technology End of Life (EOL) is a term used to describe the time when the Original Equipment Manufacturer no longer supports the tech. That could be a piece of hardware or an Operating System (OS). It doesn't mean that you can't still get IT support for your technology, but there can be complications.
When technology reaches its EOL, you can no longer receive security patches, updates or firmware. Replacement parts are no longer stocked as standard, and even a post-warranty support contract will not cover you in the event of a breakdown.
This blog will look at what 'End of Life' means and why people should think about upgrading when their technology reaches EOL.
Security
Without access to the latest security patches and firmware releases, you are leaving the data that is processed and/or stored on your hardware at risk. Even if you use a firewall and antivirus, unpatched vulnerabilities can still be exploited by hackers.
Cyber criminals can easily detect devices that do not have up to date security, and use them as a backdoor to the rest of your networks and all of your company data. You could then have your data mined, stolen for ransomware or your resources used for illicit activities such as cryptomining.
Under new data protection legislation, you must ensure that your IT is properly able to protect your data, and wilfully using redundant technology is a big no-no.
Potential Compliance/Regulatory Issues
Some sectors and industries will collect and process sensitive data, such as medical records or financial information. Using redundant technology in these instances could lead not only to a damaged reputation but potentially fines and criminal proceedings.
Compatibility
As hardware gets older, it is less likely to be compatible with modern software and systems. If you’re looking to make your business more productive, or be able to compete with newcomers to your industry, you’ll need to invest in modern programs. However these newer systems aren’t designed to run on old hardware and OSes.
That can be especially painful for businesses running heavy accounting packages like Sage, as updates can cause mountains of problems when the technology is no longer compatible.
Performance
Speed is one of the major performance factors that deteriorates as technology reaches and surpasses its end of life. And whilst a couple of milliseconds here and there might not seem like much, you need to attribute slow technology across your entire business. Every workstation running slowly, systems taking an age to load, websites rendering information slowly - all of these factors can contribute to low productivity.
Reliability is another contributor to performance issues when it comes to end of life technology. Older items are more likely to need monitoring and hands on support, reacting to downtime and minimising the repercussions. The resources used could be put to far better use if the technology was up to date.
Cost
The immediate cost of replacing your server or Operating System should be compared with the potential cost of breakdown, repair, constant monitoring and firefighting issues. Your staff being offline every time something breaks, your website falling over losing customers and sales, the cost of support from the OEM who often charge more for support on an EOL product than they do to replace the product entirely. It may sting, but budgeting for updating technology is a must for businesses today.
We can check to make sure your technology has not yet reached its End of Life. Clients on our IT support contracts are notified when their technology is nearing end of life. If you are at the point where you need to update your tech, we take care of everything from finding the best deal and most suitable technology, to install and making sure your other applications work with it.
Talk To Us About End of Life Tech
Date published: 15/05/2018