Software updates are a critical part of maintaining the integrity and security of your business’s systems. They improve functionality, rectify bugs, and optimize performance. The intertwined nature of security and compatibility means that ignoring these updates can leave your company susceptible to cyberattacks and other operational issues.
A software update is a patch, upgrade or other modification to code that corrects problems with the program. Software publishers often provide these updates free of charge.
The most important reason to install software updates immediately is for security. Threat actors use flaws in outdated programs to access devices, steal information and corrupt files. Updating software closes off these vulnerabilities, making it more difficult for criminals to access and infect your devices and systems.
Software updates can also give your software new features and speed enhancements to improve your end-user experience. For example, a business’s customer management system might receive updates that enable it to connect more easily with other services and apps. This makes it easier for employees to work remotely and communicate with clients and customers.
It’s important to test software updates on a small number of devices before rolling them out across your organisation. Otherwise, attackers could work out what the original flaws were that have been fixed in the updated version of the software and start targeting devices with the same vulnerabilities. See our blog post on installing updates without breaking things for more tips. Ensure that your mobile device management (MDM) platform or MDM policies include processes to automatically apply software updates and to monitor them for compliance.