Recently, I visited an office in which some computers were running Windows XP, which Microsoft stopped supporting over two years ago. In fact, according to NetMarketShare over six percent of all computers still run XP. And, as I discussed in an earlier article, the government even has some decades-old systems in place managing critical functions.
Using old, unsupported software, however, can pose several serious problems about which everyone should be aware before making the decision to continue utilizing such technology:
1. Any questions may be left unanswered
If you experience any issues with the software, you may not be able to have them addressed, and any questions you have about its proper operation may be left unanswered. Besides creating technical issues, unanswered questions can lead to mistakes – which can impact functionality as well as security.
2. Vulnerabilities may be left unpatched
Modern software is complicated, and, over time, various parties often discover and report vulnerabilities to software’s creators – who, in turn, create patches and other fixes. In essence, nearly all major modern software packages require periodic updates from their manufacturers in order to remain secure against criminals exploiting known vulnerabilities. If a package is no longer supported, fixes may not be created and issued even if vulnerabilities are discovered and reported – leading to a potentially precarious situation for parties using such technology.
3. Conflicts and incompatibilities may be created with newer software packages or environments
As time passes and other software packages are patched, updated, and upgraded, old software may create technical problems; it may be unable to interface with newer versions of other packages, or be unable to run altogether in environments running newer versions of operating systems.
4. Hardware may stop working
It is not unheard of, for example, for older printers and other peripherals to stop working when computers are upgraded to newer operating systems; no-longer-supported drivers may not be updated as needed.
5. New functionality will not be added
Features and functions – including some that you may desire because of the proliferation of some newer technology with which you’d like the older software to interact – will likely not be added to the unsupported software.
Of course, there may be perfectly acceptable reasons for using unsupported software. But those who make the decision to do so should be making an informed decision after understanding the risks.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.