Software Updates

Updating software is often viewed as an unnecessary expense that only gives employees bells and whistles that they do not need or will find difficult to use. However, some of the benefits of upgrading employee software do not show up explicitly on an accounting record or annual report. Often, these are the reasons many employees continue to use outdated software.

When one considers that employee salaries are normally the largest expense in businesses of all sizes, it is worth stopping to consider the impact that upgrading software will have on several areas of employee outcomes.

Here are just a few important benefits to keeping your software up-to-date:

Increased Security

Many security vulnerabilities are discovered and exploited in software as it becomes more widely adopted and as more time goes by. Those vulnerabilities are typically discovered by the manufacturer and then 'patched' via a software update. If a vulnerability is found and the software is not upgraded; the software not only remains vulnerable, but the security hole becomes more and more popular as more and more people learn of the issue. Because of this, it is often cheaper to keep your software up to date as it will prevent data theft, data corruption, data loss, or infections with malware. Increased security from software updates also result in less downtime for employees who may have to wait for a security issue to be resolved before continuing with their work.

Reduced Costs

Outdated software often becomes more expensive to maintain than newer versions. Often users are forced to work on older hardware or operating systems because the software they are running is not compatible on newer platforms. Even if the software is compatible with newer platforms, it may not be able to take advantage of performance enhancements from the newer hardware it may be running on. Companies often in an attempt to save money by pushing off costly upgrades and updates, actually pay much more in the long term when they are forced to upgrade when it comes to end of life support. It is also important to note that keeping your software up to date typically results in fewer calls to support and less downtime.

Increased Productivity

As software evolves, it often becomes more streamlined, easier to use, and more intuitive to put to work. Many updates also contain very important performance patches. These performance enhancements can have a very positive upside, resulting in increased productivity which saves money by saving the users time.