1. Increased exposure to hackers
As EOL software is no longer supported by the developers, there will be no more patches, bug fixes or security upgrades. This poses a major risk to your charity being hacked or exposed to cyber threats. Similarly, with software running on out of date hardware or browsers, the exposure to cyber threats can be vast.
Consider the cost if you couldn’t access your data or systems – not just financially but also in terms of productivity and your reputation. EOL and out-of-date software is open season to a hacker. They can literally bring your charity to a halt.
2. Greater compliance risk
If you think being hacked is bad enough, add non-compliance to your list of headaches. By running out-of-date or EOL or out-of-date software and hardware, you could well be violating regulations and standards relating to your donors or volunteers. If this happens, you could be called to account to explain why you didn’t take steps to mitigate the risk.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is just one example. A personal data breach could result in fines and reputational damage. And it applies to all organisations – including charities. When you compare the potential impact to investing in compliant up-to-date software, such as some of the latest cloud-based solutions, it just isn’t worth the stress.
3. Higher long-term costs
Using an internal tech team to deal with bugs and security patches for EOL software is a false economy. It’s outside your core organisation, so is effectively a drain on your resources. The more outdated the hardware becomes, the harder it is to ensure there are no vulnerabilities – regardless of how much money you spend on it to try and fix the problem.
Cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions, on the other hand, have experts who look after all software fixes and updates, so you don’t have to worry about it. And because this is all wrapped up in your licence fee the costs are often much less.
4. Reduced agility and growth
EOL or out-of-date software is stunting your charity’s growth. You might feel comfortable with the system you’re currently using but it’s slowing productivity and you’re missing out on many of the features that your peers take for granted.
This could be as simple as automating a specific process in your charity so staff don’t have to carry it out manually. Or it could be easily creating the reports you need without your team spending hours pulling all the information together. Modern cloud software can seriously streamline your processes and being a more efficient charity, you are in a better position to focus on attracting more donors and driving growth.
5. Compatibility issues
The longer you continue with EOL or outdated software, the more incompatible it will be with other apps or programs – including the latest operating systems. And the further behind your charity becomes, the more painful the inevitable change.
After all, when software developers release new products, there’s usually major value for users: a faster, more user-friendly, experience; the latest features and functionality, along with many of the benefits mentioned earlier. It will ultimately help you to run your charity better.
The reality is, that out-of-date or EOL software not only puts your organisation at great risk, but it also drains resources and is a financial and reputational liability too. Smart charities that value their future and donors include technology in their ongoing business plans. That way, they’re less likely to find themselves in a precarious situation – one in which it might be hard to recover from, if at all.
Here at Access, we want to support you in your migration to the cloud and are here to guide you and your charity through the process.
Why wait? Start your upgrade journey today You’ll be amazed at how easy it could be to take your charity into the future.