Still Running Old Software? Here Is What That Could Cost You
It is mid-morning and your practice manager is trying to open a client file. The system is slow, throws an error, and nobody can work out why. Your IT support person eventually traces it back to software that hasn't received a security update in three years. The software still runs - just badly, and with a wide-open door for anyone who wants in.
This is the quiet risk that sits inside a lot of professional services businesses. Old software doesn't announce itself as dangerous. It just sits there, doing roughly what it always did, while the security patches quietly stopped coming. When a vendor ends support for a product, they stop fixing the vulnerabilities that researchers and hackers keep finding. Those vulnerabilities don't disappear - they just stop being closed. Your system becomes easier to compromise over time, not harder.
For a healthcare practice or legal firm handling sensitive client information, that matters a great deal. The NZ Privacy Act 2020 requires you to take reasonable steps to protect personal information. Running unsupported software is hard to defend as a reasonable step. A breach traced back to an unpatched system is also hard to explain to clients whose records were exposed. The reputational cost alone can outlast the financial one.
There are several pieces of software still running in small professional services businesses that should have been replaced already. Internet Explorer lost all support in mid-2022 and should be gone from every device. Windows 7 lost support in January 2020 and is actively targeted by attackers who know it. Adobe Flash has been unsupported since early 2021 and should be fully uninstalled, not just disabled. Older versions of macOS - anything at or below Mojave 10.14 - no longer receive Apple security updates. If your business uses database software, it is worth checking whether you are running a version that has already reached or is approaching end of support.
When this is handled properly, the working day looks different. Systems run faster. Staff are not working around software that fights them. Security vulnerabilities are patched before they become incidents. And when a client asks whether their data is held securely, the honest answer is yes. For more on what that looks like across a professional services practice, see managed IT support for professional services.
The practical step is to get an audit of what is actually running across your devices. Not just the software you know about - the plugins, the background applications, the systems that were set up years ago and quietly left in place. A good IT support review will surface anything that has aged out and give you a clear picture of what needs updating and in what order. Upgrades done properly include testing before anything goes live, so the risk of disruption is managed rather than just hoped away. If you want to understand your current exposure to cyber threats more broadly, ITstuffed's cyber security page is a good starting point.
ITstuffed works with professional services businesses across Canterbury to keep their systems current and their data protected. An IT Fit Check takes 15 minutes and gives you a clear picture of where things stand. Book one here.