The Ping: Updates and Upgrades

November 2, 2018 Corie Bogan Leave a comment BUSINESS CONTINUITY, business management, desktop, laptop, mac, malware, network, planning, safety, Security, The Ping, update, virus, vulnerability, windows

Recently we’ve had a few questions from customers regarding upgrades and updates. Let’s dive into the purpose of these updates and upgrades to break down the reason why they are so important.

 

Updates

So why are updates so important? Simple. It all boils (too soon?) down to security. Software updates tend to contain critical patches the software needs to eliminate security holes and close these discovered vulnerabilities. Malware is designed to use these vulnerabilities – damages that can range from data loss all the way to identity theft. Staying up-to-date and installing these updates is key to being proactive against malicious software and attacks.

How is UniVista managing these updates? On Tuesday’s, we are alerted internally by our Labtech monitoring software that updates are ready for deployment and we review and approve any new updates to be automatically deployed. This allows us to manage the updates and ensure you are getting the right updates on time. Your agreement specifies which applications we manage updates/patches for: Windows OS, 7-zip, Adobe Air, Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, Apple iTunes, Google Chrome, Java, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, Notepad++, PDFCreator, VLC Media Player, Skype, Skype for Business, and Microsoft Office.

If you’re curious, CVE or Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures is a website that details all the published vulnerabilities from across the globe and most importantly from the U.S. National Vulnerability Database.

Upgrades

Did you know, on average, every 2 to 3 days there is a new vulnerability for Windows 7? What that means for you is that once Microsoft stops patching in January of 2020 (Windows 7 End of Life), your machine will be vulnerable to many threats. This is where the importance of upgrading comes in to play. We tend to get used to a certain version of software and we try our best to stick with it for as long as we possibly can, quite often far past its End of Life (EOL). The problem is that EOL systems and software are not compliant with any security framework whatsoever. Without the ability to update and secure the above mention vulnerabilities, you are putting your personal computer as well as your network infrastructure at risk.

Currently your UniVista Account Management team has met or is meeting with you soon on the process of upgrading your Windows 7 machines, moving from Windows Server 2008 to a newer version, or upgrading Exchange 2010 to a newer version. They can also discuss estimate pricing for your upgrade and update needs.

Positives

What is the advantage aside from keeping your environment safe and secure? You might see an uptake in productivity. When software is working the way it should, frustrations are down and this can lead to a much happier and accomplished staff as they are provided the tools to do their job.

Aside from happy and productive employees, costs can be far less by maintaining and keeping up to date with updates and upgrades. Many random issues with software can stem from outdated updates and upgrades. Keeping them current helps to prevent malware and glitches that require a remote or onsite technician to take over that individual device and tie it up for an unknown period of time.
Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to your UniVista staff. Remember, we’re here to help!

 

Tune in next as we kick off Cybersecurity for the month of November.

 

Your UniVista Team
*Celebrating 20 Years of Customer Satisfaction*