The political and economic moment our country is going through has generated doubts and insecurity across all layers of society. Commercially speaking, economic instability has caused the market as a whole to revise its priorities. As a result, some fundamental items, such as ICT (Information and Communication Technology), tend to ‘lose relevance’, which compromises their maintenance process and, consequently, their security and operation.
The constant evolution of operating systems and their technologies demands considerable efforts and investments from companies, but if not carried out, they can lead to even greater corrective expenses.
The moment is critical, and because of this, we have listed 5 points that must be observed very carefully so that your company does not suffer unnecessary losses.
1) Windows 2003 Server
Microsoft ended support for this version in July 2015. This means security updates will no longer be released for it, and application performance in this environment tends to be compromised. This is because, since July 2015, the maintainers of these applications no longer view Windows Server 2003 as a valid platform, but rather as obsolete.
Bonus: Complete guide to implementing a Service Desk in your company
2) Obsolete Desktop Windows Versions
Just like servers, versions for desktops and notebooks also evolve quite rapidly and end up becoming obsolete as other technologies improve.
For personal computers, Windows XP and Vista SP1 had their extended support ended in January 2015. This was also the end date for base support for Vista SP2 and all versions of Windows 7.
This means that since the beginning of last year, these versions will only receive security updates for free. Any other type of fix will have to be paid for.
Another important point is that Microsoft announced it would be offering the free update to Windows 10 for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8 for free until July 29, 2016. After this date, there is still uncertainty about how license renewal will be handled.
3) Linux Environments
Obviously, the need for constant updates is not restricted only to Windows environments. Security demands, especially those for connecting to servers via the SSH protocol, are the most critical within an environment with these characteristics.
And although there is no direct cost for acquiring the new version, it is extremely important that the procedure is performed by a specialist who guarantees the correct functioning of services and the security of the environment.
4) Database Service
In the wake of all the items mentioned above, the constant updating of the database server is perhaps the main point.
Keeping your database structure always updated ensures not only security against intrusions and attacks, but also prevents potential incidents resulting from data corruption and helps improve service performance and availability.
The compatibility matrix of database software vendors is usually quite tight, requiring the customer to constantly update versions so as not to lose product support and consequently run the risk of a shutdown in the production environment, thereby generating major financial impacts.
5) Update Control and Security Testing
Finally, it is recommended that, in addition to operating system update control, there is a security penetration testing model for servers. This routine helps identify potential flaws that could pose a risk to your company’s information and data. The main objective of this model is to anticipate eventual flaws, enable a controlled action plan, and find the solution to this flaw without impacting the end customer.
