IT departments are coming up against more challenges with the changing times. There’s loads of things to consider with remote working, compliance and security being elevated risk areas for most companies. However, we see that there is not enough lead-up focus by IT departments on the implications of a software product’s End-Of-Life (EoL). And, EoL of a critical software solution that your company is using, can create a multitude of risks and issues and knock-on effects to other systems and processes crucial for the running of your operations and business.
What is EoL?
EoL means a software product is no longer endorsed by its producer. Also, it means the product will not have any updates, technical support, bug fixes or security patches. As the product life cycle is complete, it is not supported or maintained.
What does EoL mean for you?
What does EoL of a software solution mean to your business? And what are the implications?
1. Security implications: EoL software is not maintained, so without fixes and security patches, it leaves the software open attacks, putting your business at risk.
2. Compatibility problems: As with most businesses our software is integrated with other apps, and as the other app develop and update the EoL software can become conflicting. This can cause bigger issues like bugs and malfunctions.
3. Compliance and Legal issues: EoL software tends to be a security risk, therefore often does not comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as data privacy laws, industry requirements, and certifications. If unresolved it can lead to penalties, legal liability, and worse damage to your company’s reputation.
4. Zero technical support: EoL products are not supported by vendors. So, any technical issues will go unmanaged. This can create chaos to the organisation, as it can also impact any app that are integrated with the software. Some upgrades can also take time, so bug will go unfixed for a while leaving you open to wider issues such a security breaches.
5. Performance issues: Once software has reached EoL, it may not function as a newer software version would. This can cause issues such as slower system performance, and therefore decreased productivity for all direct and indirect users.
Overall end-of-life software presents several business risks and drawbacks, from security issues, to compatibility, performance and even compliance risks, to name a few. It is vital to ensure all software is kept up to date, promptly to ensure these issues named above can be avoided.
How Codestone can help
As the Top UK Managed Services Provider (MSP), Codestone has a great deal of experience across multiple industry sectors, providing IT infrastructure and Security support on a 24x7x365. Our team of SAP, Microsoft, CCH Tagetik, and IT infrastructure experts can support you in planning for and recommending the right migration strategy in an EoL scenario.
To learn more and gain support, email [email protected] or see our Managed Support Services