What Happens If My Database Technology Is Not Supported?

Your current database technology may have worked well over the years, but there comes a time where it reaches its end of life. Some organizations choose to keep using unsupported databases, but they put themselves at risk with this move.

The Risks of Unsupported Database Technology
Outdated technology creates vulnerabilities in your company’s infrastructure as hackers develop new exploits. Older databases may not get security updates and put you at risk of a data breach or another attack. How much time and money would you lose if you had to recreate your databases from scratch or lost data?

Your costs for maintaining unsupported database technology also increases substantially. Recruiting staff who are familiar with your type of database becomes increasingly difficult over time. You pay more for talent with the appropriate skill sets and have to spend longer looking for them.

Your opportunity costs for staying with older technology are costly. Business agility and scalability may be affected by older databases. You have to use custom developed integration options to get them to work with new solutions that you implement in your organization.

Scaling expenses make it difficult to grow your business or get the capacity that you need to support your operations. Flexible technology such as cloud computing is often out of reach for older database technology.

Waiting for Failure Isn’t a Viable Upgrade Approach
Some companies try to hold off on upgrades until something catastrophic happens. Emergency upgrading is always a bad plan. You can’t predict when the database will finally run into a wall or have a fatal encounter with a hacker.

Handling this situation suddenly requires costly measures, such as bringing in last-minute consultants and vendors. The disruption to business continuity has a major revenue impact, and it could take months or even years to recover.

Don’t let outdated databases make it impossible to accomplish your business goals. Strategically use managed services to start planning a proactive and effective upgrade. Want to know more about the steps required to move from an unsupported database technology to the latest ones? Download our white paper today to learn more about this process and how managed services providers can help.