How many times have you been working on your computer, and you see the little pop-up window that tells you updates are available for your software? Many people are tempted to click the ‘remind me later’ button and keep working. However, doing this can put your software, device, and/or personal information at risk. Software updates are a critical component of your digital safety and cyber security. Here are just a few reasons why updating software is important:
Patch security flaws – Without question, the security of your software, device, and personal information is the number one reason to update your software when prompted. Hackers are constantly coming up with new ways to breach security and security patches provide protection as these breaches are discovered.
Protect data – If a hacker does manage to breach security, they will look for personal information including passwords, usernames, and financial information. Software updates can help to protect your data even if a primary breach occurs.
Improve performance – We all want to ensure that our software and devices run as efficiently as possible. Software updates can provide fixes to newly discovered bugs that hinder performance. Updates can also provide general enhancements.
Ensure compatibility – As our devices and software gets older, we want to ensure that they can work with new technology. Without software updates, we run the risk that this might not be possible.
Get new features – As technology evolves, so do the digital products that we use. Software updates allow for changes to the products that we use through the addition of new features or the removal of old ones.
The next time you are tempted to skip the software updates, remember the benefits that come with updating your software. A few minutes of inconvenience can provide a wealth of benefits in protecting your data and keeping your software and device running efficiently.