Updating your software, while essential to the security and efficiency of your organization, can often become an extremely frustrating experience. Even with a strong IT team behind you, snafus and delays may still occur. Some general best practices can help to mitigate setbacks and make getting back on track as easy as possible
The Benefits of Updating
If your current version of a program is still working quickly enough and serving its purpose, you may wonder – why update at all? Updating your software isn’t only about optimizing speed and efficiency: it also makes your programs more secure. Updates often contain new patches that developers have created for threats they’ve discovered. By not updating, you leave yourself vulnerable to malware.
One of the most infamous cases of updates being vital for security is the Equifax data breach, in which hackers stole millions of people’s personal information. Perhaps most shocking about the breach was the fact that a patch for the vulnerability that the hackers had taken advantage of had already been created. Equifax had simply not updated its software.
In addition to being important for your security, updates can improve the user experience and speed of software. Developers are always looking for ways to make a software’s interface more intuitive for users. In some cases, the speed at which a program functions may also improve. Both can help your organization be as efficient as ever at no extra cost.
Ensuring Update Success
While software updates are important, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re easy to do. Technical problems can occur. Your team may have to get adjusted to a new way of organizing information and ensure that your data stays safe during the transition. In addition, consistently updating all of your applications across an entire system can prove to be a logistical challenge.
Luckily, there are simple measures that you can take to ensure success. Having a plan in advance can help to avoid headaches for you and your team. Keeping a record of all of the software that your organization uses is a good place to start. Doing so will allow you to avoid missing any updates.
Once you have a list, think about streamlining the number of different varieties of software that you use. If employees at your organization use multiple types of word processors, for example, you now have multiple programs to update when you could just have one. Getting your entire organization on the same page will make logistics easier down the road.
Finally, keep up to date with software vendors to see when they announce new updates or patches. Doing so will help you to update quickly and avoid putting your organization at risk.
Avoiding Deployment Problems
Perhaps even more so than updating existing software, deploying a brand new program can come with an expanded set of challenges, especially to your security. To ensure a successful deployment, you should follow all of the measures that you use to update software and then continue to do so after deployment. There are also several additional practices that you should employ.
Testing a new program before fully deploying it is essential to smooth integration. If the software isn’t communicating properly with other programs on one IT computer, it definitely won’t across your entire system. For the smoothest possible integration, make sure that you are using software that automates as many steps of the deployment process as possible. This will help you avoid having to do repetitive steps so that you can focus on the more challenging parts of deployment.
Once a software is fully deployed and used across multiple work stations, figure out a few indicators that you can look at that will give you a good idea if the program is operating as it should. Each software will have different key indicators to look at that can vary widely.
Software That You Can Trust
Programs from Faronics can also help to simplify the updating and deployment process. The Faronics Software Updater will automatically download, install and update several widely used products. It works across the same across your entire system to ensure consistency, including on computers that don’t use Deep Freeze. On desktops that do use Deep Freeze, the Software Integrator will effectively integrate any new software into the system, adding an additional layer of protection against threats. The program will also keep track of all updates and changes across your entire system so that you know everything that is happening. These processes will save you from needing to do continued manual work when your energy could be better spent elsewhere.
Software updating and deployment is challenging. If done right it can be a lot easier, however. Staying on top of all of the software that your organization is using and keeping track of all of your updating needs will go a long way. Using the right software from Faronics to assist you can be a game-changer.
To learn more about how Faronics Deep Freeze technology can help your organization, visit our website or start a free trial today.
