One of the best ways to protect your business from external threats and data breaches is easier than you’d think: staying current on software updates.
That’s right, paying attention to those pesky software update notifications can be the key to fighting off unwanted viruses and malware.
How can software updates protect you and your business from the latest cyber-attacks? And how often should you be updating your software? In this post, we’ll go through the biggest benefits of keeping your software current along with how often to update your software and how to perform those updates.
SOFTWARE UPDATE BENEFITS
Staying on top of software updates and updating software as soon as possible is important for a number of reasons. Here are a few direct benefits of updating your software:
1. Patch Up Security Flaws
Software can have vulnerabilities that make you more exposed to external threats. Software needs to be updated regularly to make sure any bugs or security breaches can be worked out and fixed, ensuring your security won’t be compromised. By putting these updates off, malware and viruses have easier access to your data and can find entry points to your software.
2. Protect Your Data
As an organization, security should be a priority. With sensitive corporate and employee information on the line, you’ll want to be on top of software updates to keep your defensive wall standing strong. Software is in place to protect your information, and by not updating your software you’re putting yourself and your company at risk of a data breach.
3. Get Better Compatibility with Applications
Every time your software is updated, it optimizes its user experience by adding new features and increasing compatibility with other applications. For example, whenever an app on your phone starts glitching and malfunctioning, the app will release a software update that fixes the glitch and makes it more compatible with the other software already installed on your device. You’ve probably experienced something like this before. Glitches are annoying to deal with so updating your software is important for keeping the integrity of the application.
This is largely for the benefit of the user to make sure the user experience is top-tier. But it’s also important for the functionality of the device as a whole, making sure that every software you’ve installed can play well with other software.
4. Stay Protected from Threats with Security Software Updates
Your anti-virus/security software is arguably the most important software to keep updated. When this type of software gets compromised, it can’t perform correctly to detect threats, leaving you more vulnerable to malware.
Some updates will specify that they are for security reasons—these updates should be prioritized because you might be at greater risk until those updates are in place.
5. Get the Latest Features
Software updates often come with updated features that include the latest technological developments. Take IOS updates, for example. Everyone rushes to update their iPhones to get the latest technological innovations from Apple. Other software updates are no different. Your user interface might change and you might get new features that you didn’t before along with any performance fixes that the software developer deemed necessary.
It’s a win-win—you’re getting technological advances while keeping your security stronghold intact.
6. Improve Overall Performance
Make sure your performance is at its best by updating your software. If it’s been a while between updates and you haven’t yet updated to the latest software, you might start to experience performance issues. Some programs might not work properly and applications might crash. Software updates are meant to be installed to increase performance so making sure you’re taking advantage of the latest update is important to see the best overall performance.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I UPDATE MY SOFTWARE?
A common question we get is how often you should update your software. The answer depends on the software, but generally, you’ll need to update your software around once a month. You’ll usually get a notification when it’s time to update and your computer will often try to schedule some time to restart and install the next update.
The most important thing is to stay on top of software updates so malware doesn’t get through when your software is compromised. Manually checking for these updates is a good additional precaution. You should also make sure your software update notifications are turned on for any devices you’re using so an update doesn’t slip through the cracks.
HOW TO UPDATE SOFTWARE ON YOUR PERSONAL COMPUTER
So how can you put these software updates in place? Here is a path for both Mac and Windows/PC:
Mac: Apple Menu > System Settings > General > Software Update
From there, you can select any available updates and hit the “Update Now” button. You should also head to your App Store app to check for any application updates by going to the Updates section located on the sidebar. This will help keep you protected from any zero-day vulnerabilities on your iPhone or iPad.
Windows/PC: Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates
From there, select any updates and choose to install them. You can also visit your Microsoft Store to check for application updates by going to Start > Microsoft Store > Library > Get Updates. Then you can select “Update All” or choose individual apps to update.
TIPS FOR REMEMBERING TO INSTALL SOFTWARE UPDATES
It’s good practice to check for installations at least once a month. However, if there is an update that you get notified about, don’t let it sit—update as soon as you can!
One way to remember to check for updates is to create a recurring calendar reminder to check for updates. This might mean creating a calendar reminder for your employees, too. That way, it becomes routine and you can train your staff to be aware of updates and prioritize software updates.
You can also automate your updating process to make it more seamless for your business or set your software to update automatically.
REMAIN UP TO DATE WITH WHIZKIDS
Working with Whizkids is ideal for making sure you’re all set with software updates. We manage and install updates for your business so you don’t have to worry about malware or security breaches.
Our ITaaS, or information technology as a service, can help you save time, money, and manpower by managing your IT services. With our help, you can focus on scaling your business without worrying about keeping up on the IT side of things.
Reach out to us today to learn more about how we’ll help protect your company from digital harm and check out our blog, Your Complete Guide to Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022, to get informed on the best ways to keep your data secure.