Are you guilty of ignoring software update notifications?

If yes, don’t worry you are not alone.  Software developers are continuously working on ways to improve their programs. A variety of criteria go into updates such as, consumer feedback, compatibility issues, and security.

Consumer feedback is the most exciting part of the updating process because developers listen to their customer’s complaints and suggestions then tweak the software appropriately.  This can include adding a function that makes the software more efficient.  A perfect example would be Sage Software adding the feature that allows Sage 100 ERP (formerly MAS 90/200) to retain the last printer used by a workstation ID in v. 4.4, which can be useful in large offices with many printers online, but only a few that are close to the employee.

Compatibility is important when it comes to both software and hardware components. Sometimes when a developer updates its software it has little consideration for the programs that need to run on or within the same system as another program, leaving your computer slow or unresponsive. Updates use research and customer complaints to fix these issues. Compatibility issues are not always negative, in v. 4.5 Sage 100 ERP (formerly MAS 90) integrated its software with Sage’s popular CRM software, and gave each client a free server and single user license.

Finally, security is a big reason you should update your computer and programs whenever an update is released.  Hackers thrive on software that has not been updated because a lot of time those updates were created to fix problem areas that are frequently attacked by hackers.

Therefore, software upgrades are incredibly important and should be made a top priority, especially when dealing with valuable business contacts and information.