Three dangers of outdated software: Why staying up-to-date is critical

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” can sometimes be good advice, but it’s not a good approach for dealing with mission-critical software.

Organizations with tight technology budgets might forego software updates or upgrades thinking they’re saving time and money by staying on an older version. That approach trades perceived value for actual threats.

Here are three business reasons why it’s better to stay up-to-date, especially if you’re running custom business software built on Claris FileMaker.

Security vulnerabilities create unnecessary risks

Let’s start with the topic that’s probably most familiar to you regardless of your role: cybersecurity. Preventing data breaches and attacks by bad actors is a constant challenge, and in this day and age it must be a business priority.

Claris currently supports FileMaker 2025 and the two most recent previous versions. Discontinued versions no longer receive official support or updates. While FileMaker is a rock-solid platform, versions that have passed end-of-life don’t receive the same security updates as supported versions.

At the same time, hackers and automated bots are always probing for ways to access systems and the private data stored within them. If your custom software is running on an outdated version, you could be opening the door to future security threats.

Compatibility issues arise as other technologies evolve

Data breaches and software vulnerabilities are familiar topics, but you might not stop to think about how many small changes happen behind the scenes in technology from day to day. Even when outdated software seems to be working fine, trouble can be brewing behind the scenes as the tools and systems it interacts with start to evolve. Over time, the APIs, plugins, and protocols that your software was designed to rely on may not be compatible with new technologies.

Imagine this scenario: A mission-critical database at your organization abruptly stops working after an operating system update. What started as routine maintenance is suddenly an emergency. How would your team respond? And how quickly could they identify the specific problem and develop a workaround?

Organizations with large IT departments plan for these contingencies and are prepared to minimize downtime. But many smaller businesses and nonprofits don’t have the resources to do so. And even at firms with full-time IT teams, preventing issues from happening means keeping software updated and periodically evaluating custom solutions for compatibility.

If your custom software was built on a version of FileMaker that’s no longer supported, it’s worth having a conversation with us to evaluate what other updates you may need to keep pace with changes in technology.

Inefficient software has a hidden, long-term cost

There’s another less-obvious benefit to keeping your business applications updated: the time and effort saved thanks to improved performance, as well as by not having to create workarounds when something stops working as intended.

Every release of FileMaker has introduced enhancements such as streamlined integrations or better stability for features you already use. Staying current ensures you can take full advantage of these improvements rather than fighting to maintain older, less efficient ways of working.

If bringing your applications up to the latest version improves performance enough to save your team even five minutes over the course of a day, how much value would you unlock in a year?

We can help you overcome technical debt

If your organization is running software built on FileMaker 19 or a newer version, upgrading is usually a smooth process. We’ve found that most of these systems can be moved forward without major disruption. If you’re still on FileMaker 18 or earlier, upgrades can be more complex — but the good news is that we’ve helped many organizations successfully modernize, even from much older versions of FileMaker.

After an initial meeting to understand your organization, our expert team will guide you through the process of:

• Reviewing your custom software against your current needs and long-term goals
• Evaluating your technology landscape, including data sources, other solutions, and your current Claris platform licensing
• Creating a plan of action to bring you onto a supported version of FileMaker, including opportunities to update your custom software with new features and improvements

Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation at no cost to you. We’ll help you choose a path that minimizes downtime and helps you achieve your full vision of success.