CIO OPINION mind that if they encounter holes or vulnerabilities in their software , those issues will be resolved quickly , without opening any additional security risks . This is especially critical for businesses in highly regulated industries where outages and downtime can have severe operational implications .
Some businesses can find themselves in trouble when it comes to upgrades or critical security patches if their support package is not tailored specifically to their needs . Generalised support packages , often for legacy software versions or longtime customers , don ’ t always come with security patches and upgrades , despite the hefty price tag .
Therefore , it ’ s critical for CFOs to have support packages that take a holistic approach to their business ’ goals and security . Round-the-clock support , even for legacy systems , can integrate within wider security policies and practices to benefit the whole organisation . And if that means sticking with your older system because the processes work for the business and its people , that ’ s OK .
Software and its support must align with your organisation ’ s Digital Transformation plans . For some businesses , this means using the best out of several software providers to suit their bespoke needs and requirements – this could be in a hybrid environment , for example . Whether a company is utilising a combination of Windows and Salesforce , or Oracle and Workday , the CFO needs to know that the systems used across the business are fully supported , at a competitive price . Businesses need coherence and synergy across the systems used to realise their full working potential – ideally without paying support costs in perpetuity for a usable fraction of one software system . It ’ s the goal of third-party software support companies to help businesses realise their Digital Transformation goals through software , wherever they are on that journey .
In this uncertain economic climate , many business leaders are understandably wary of opening their infrastructures to unnecessary risks . This includes the risk inherent in company-wide upgrades , which are often regularly encouraged as part of many software support packages . What if the business can ’ t hire the right skills to support the new infrastructure ? What if existing staff are pulled away from critical tasks to assist with the migration ? Upgrades are an organisational-wide decision and should only be implemented when and if it makes business sense to do so . If an organisation ’ s software is functional , stable and everyone is getting the most from it , the CFO would be right to question the value of introducing more risk to a system when the existing system can be fully supported .
The goal for CIOs and CFOs should be for their software infrastructure to align with their business ’ overall goals .
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