The Risk of Older Computers

In the small business world, it is critical to maximize the usage of company resources and computers are no exception. So, many small business owners aim to keep computers as long as they remain useful. This can be a great way to cut costs and get the most out of your investment, but can also pose a potential security risk.

This risk is brought on by having computers prior to Windows XP on your company's network. XP and Vista have significantly better security than prior version of Windows and as a result, are less likely to be compromised by hackers or malware. Pre-XP computers, on the other hand, don't have the level of security that XP and Vista do, and therefore present a weak spot in your network security.

Does this mean to immediately upgrade all old computers? Not necessarily. Computers that are running Windows 2000 can be secured better through the use of a firewall and good security software. Anything prior to 2000 should be upgraded sooner rather than later. But, older computers that are running Windows XP can still be great functional business machines, so most companies don't need to rush out to upgrade to Vista, even though it does boast some security improvements.

One other concern with older computers is the protection status of your security software. It can be easy to forget to update protection, but that can be a costly oversight. So, make sure you keep that software updated and replace the security software on older systems if necessary.

Please let us know if you have any questions and we'll be happy to help out as best we can!