Why you need professional help when Windows updates

Written by Shackleton Technologies

When it comes to cybersecurity, users are constantly advised to keep their systems fully-patched and updated. Some applications – like your antivirus software – updates itself automatically almost every day.

And it makes sense to plug holes as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of hackers breaking in. But there is a good reason to get professional advice before you install an update.

Windows 10 October update goes on hold

Like all your other software, Windows 10 is updated regularly to patch bugs and enhance security. Periodically Microsoft also release a major update that adds new functionality and features.

The update was heavily promoted in a recent tech event as Microsoft showed off a number of handy new features, like the ability to send SMS text messages from your PC. Several smaller tweaks, like document previews and tabbed explorer windows should help to increase productivity and efficiency too.

But when the update was released on 6^th October, early adopters quickly began to encounter problems. Within hours there were reports of documents being deleted, and driver mismatches that prevented computers from connecting to the Internet.

Microsoft quickly halted downloads, but for many the damage had already been done.

The danger of updates

The October Update fiasco is not an isolated incident. History is littered with similar examples of updates that prevent computers from starting up, deleting data or negatively affecting performance.

In most cases, the issue is identified quite quickly and downloads halted until the problem can be fixed. It may take several days for that fix to appear however, leaving affected users without a working computer in the interim.

The Windows 10 October Update took nearly four days to correct. But it is highly unlikely that affected users will get their deleted data back – unless it was properly backed up elsewhere.

Manage updates properly

It is good practice to patch software and install upgrades quickly. It is never a good idea to allow your end users to do it though. Unless properly IT-trained, it is unlikely that they fully understand the implications of the update – or how to do it properly.

Instead you need to manage the patching process to ensure consistency. You need to be sure that updates are safe to install, and that they are applied to all of your computers. Which means that you may need to nominate one competent staff member to apply updates.

The reality is that testing and applying software patches can be very complicated and time-consuming. Particularly if your business uses a lot of applications.

Far more effective is to outsource the job entirely to a third-party IT support provider. Not only can they carry out upgrades and testing of each patch for you, but you benefit from their knowledge and experience to avoid problems. They probably already have a program or proactive network maintenance in place – including installing new software patches which will make the process as simple and non-disruptive as possible.

To learn more about Windows 10 updates, proactive network maintenance or to get some help with keeping your Microsoft systems running properly, please give us a call.