One of the many beauties of technology is that it is constantly advancing, offering you, the user, much more in terms of quality, security, accessibility, and more. While these advancements can be great for you, the updates that they come with can feel inconvenient at best. On top of your general software, every app you have downloaded probably has regular updates. And while many of these updates occur without any interruption, you have probably experienced instances when your device had to shut down entirely until the update was completed. This might take a couple of minutes, but on occasion, it can take much longer. While these updates might seem like an unnecessary evil, the benefits of these updates absolutely outweigh the downfalls, and updating your software, at its core, is a very necessary part of owning and using technology.
Software Improvements
Your software creators are constantly competing with others in their market to create a product that is efficient, effective, and user friendly. As a result of this cutthroat industry, you, the user, benefit greatly. Every update is the creator’s way of saying, “hey, we’re here to make this experience great for you” as they constantly look for shortcuts and customization options for their target audience. Each update is created with you in mind and how you can benefit.
Security
Often times, an update for your software is due to filling a security hole that was discovered in the older version. As hackers are constantly upping their game by searching for vulnerabilities in your technology and creating new malicious software or “malware” in order to infiltrate your device or account, it is important to do everything you can to give yourself the best line of defense. Odds are, the first step in protecting yourself from malware is having the most updated version of the software you are using.
Protecting Others
Aside from protecting your own pieces of technology from the downfalls of malware, by updating your software you are also shielding the people you interact with online from these same potential viruses. This is especially true in the business world where the damage could end up costing you more than just the piece of tech that is infected. This is why many companies use “phishing tests” in order to prepare associates for potential scams sent through emails. Once a hacker has a leg into your contacts, the negative domino effect could be greater than you ever imagined.
Data
Consider the information stored in the various accounts you have on your computer, phone, or tablet. There is probably financial information, emails, social security numbers, medical information, and the list goes on. When a weakness in software is exploited by malware, all of this information and more is at risk. This could result in your information being obtained by criminals, you being the victim of identity and/or credit card theft, or access to your accounts being held for ransom (blocked until you pay the hacker a set amount). We put so much trust in our technology that it is important to be sure that we are protecting it and ourselves not only by actively using protective software, but by updating the apps and software we use in order to give ourselves the best cyber security.
Is your business’s technology at risk? Contact tekRESCUE, a HIPAA certified managed service provider in San Marcos, TX, to learn more about cyber security and protecting your information.
