Many companies are currently using outdated IT infrastructure. This includes network equipment such as firewalls, switches or routers, and server and storage systems that are no longer supported by the manufacturer. What many do not realize is that this old equipment makes a company vulnerable to cyber threats, network failures and outages, which in turn may have a serious impact on the company’s business operations and reputation. Here are three reasons why an End of Life IT infrastructure is a major risk to your business.
1. Unsupported infrastructure is unreliable and expensive
Corporate networks running on unsupported, obsolete systems are often unstable and therefore unreliable. Such an unstable infrastructure is certain to fail or falter at some point, which will disrupt operations and potentially damage the company’s reputation. Maintaining and fixing these old systems also costs a great deal of time and money. Waiting for the inevitable to happen is not a good strategy for the modernisation of your network.
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Do the test2. Your network becomes vulnerable without patches and updates
All technology is prone to breaches and threats. The fact is that modern technology is continuously supported by manufacturers and regularly given the required patches and updates to counter these threats. When an IT infrastructure reaches end of life after 7 to 10 years, the manufacturer will no longer support the product. The absence of new patches and updates means that vulnerabilities that cropped up since support was discontinued will simply remain unresolved. It will only be a matter of time before they put all your IT at risk.
3. An outdated infrastructure reduces productivity
An outdated infrastructure can slow down your company’s productivity considerably. Technology used by old equipment is usually not compatible with newer software and more modern standards. This may have a significant impact on the speed and quality of your business network’s data communication. When employees are finding it difficult to access certain applications or data, they get frustrated and efficiency levels drop.
Out-of-date hardware currently poses a real and underestimated threat to a large number of Belgian companies. Simultaneously doing away with outdated environments – whether they are network, storage or server equipment – also offers new opportunities for safer, more cost-efficient operations. Managed Services for example, allow you to have your IT proactively managed to prevent problems and always keep a good overview of the status of all assets in your IT environment.
Perhaps the right move for you is to stop investing in your own IT infrastructure? If you move your IT to the cloud, you will always get to work with the latest, fastest technologies and IT will always be available ‘as a service’. In that case, you will no longer have to deal with any obsolete equipment.