“The (Dutch) National Coordinator for anti-terrorism and national security fears cyber-attacks: most companies still use old software.” This is the headline for a news article about digital threads on Dutch national news site NOS.nl.
Vulnerable old software
We can only support the conclusion that many organizations still use old, no longer supported, software. In most cases systems are still used because of legacy applications of which data must remain accessible. Within manufacturing we discover many machine-based computer systems with very old operating systems. Besides that, many IT specialists within organizations experience that bringing software up-to-date and maintaining up-to-date systems is time consuming, expensive and complex.
Still, a lot more organizations should take a closer look at this matter. As the research ‘Digital Threats’ shows, systems with old software, like Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Server 2008 and/or SQL Server 2008, are an easy target for cybercriminals. The cost and effort which organizations who are victims to cybercrime have to spent exceeds the cost and effort for updating systems multiple times. Besides that, cybercrime is a direct threat for the economy. But how to start?
Software Asset Management
Starting with Software Asset Management (SAM) is a clever thing to do. SAM is the total of processes, technology and people in connection to software. A proper managed SAM service discovers systems and software, determines dependencies and offers upgrade paths for outdated systems. Measurement brings knowledge and is always a good start. Besides this, SAM brings more benefits to companies, such as reducing the legal risk, cost reduction of software and licenses and finding openings for innovation and digital transformation. Just as we like to say: “SAM done right is a strategic advantage”; just talk to one of the Quexcel SAM specialists.