Risks of Aging Technology and Benefits of Upgrading
"Why should we upgrade when the existing system still works fine?"
- By Brian Carle
- April 01, 2019
Many organizations maintain regular technology refresh
schedules where old equipment is replaced on a set schedule,
usually every three to five years. Alternatively, organizations
may choose to keep technology through its full,
usable life. In such cases, the full, usable life may extend
past the warranty period for hardware products or past the end of
support period for software. Having a complete understanding of the
complications of using older equipment can help organizations proceed
with the correct equipment refresh policy for their needs.
Cyberattacks and Liability Risks
One of the biggest risks to larger organizations is the brand impact
and liability cost of a cyberattack or theft of customer data. If software
and equipment is kept past its end of support or end of life date, there
generally will be no further firmware or software updates to the product.
If there is a security flaw later discovered, and the equipment is
in service, the options to protect against an exploit of the security flaw
will be limited and inadvisable.
Utilizing equipment and software that is actively supported and
maintained by the product vendor is a much safer policy. Reputable
vendors with a strong vulnerability response policy who are actively
supporting in-life products make it a priority to release a fix to any significant security flaw that is discovered. This means firmware or software patches should be provided shortly thereafter, keeping your equipment safe from being exploited using a known security vulnerability.
Out of Warranty Hardware
A purpose-built computer, such as a Network Video Recorder, may
appear to continue to function well, even beyond its warranty period.
With a personal or business-use computer, the purpose of the system
is constantly changing to fit the user’s evolving needs. New software
is installed, generally with higher system requirements than old software,
more data is saved, and less free space is available. These effects,
over time, lead to the appearance that the system is slow or out of
date, prompting an upgrade naturally. However, if the NVR is performing
the same tasks as when it was installed (recording the same
cameras, streaming to the same displays etc.), it will continue to function
with the same performance as when it was first deployed, begging
the question, “Why should we upgrade when the existing system
still works fine?” One answer is the hardware may no longer be under
warranty.
If a vendor will not sell a warranty for longer than you plan to use
the equipment, that’s a good indication there are problems with keeping
equipment beyond that time period. Issues may include higher
equipment failure rates or the lack of compatible replacement parts
that may be available for equipment that old.
If equipment is out of warranty and a hardware component has a
failure, finding a replacement part may be expensive, time consuming,
or impossible. In some cases, this could necessitate the purchase of a
whole new system, which may be incompatible with other existing systems
in use in the organization. What was once a homogenous technology
deployment may no longer consist of equipment that integrates, or
requires separate client applications to control, or consists of products
from different vendors leading to support complications.
Technical Support
Sometimes technology deployments run into problems that require
troubleshooting. It helps to have access to an expert who can assist.
Commonly, vendors will not provide support on products that are
end of life. The support team’s training may not cover old and end of
life products. The company may not even have an active deployment of
a very old and end of life product in place to use for troubleshooting.
If you do have a support need on an end of life product, a very
support-minded vendor may still try to help. For the reasons cited
above, the troubleshooting process may be unsuccessful and will certainly
take much longer than if a current and actively supported
product were being used.
The consequence of using out of date equipment may include not
having access to support, or at least longer troubleshooting times. In
the most severe cases, if equipment can’t be brought back to a usable
state, it could force the organization to replace failed equipment that
was not planned or budgeted for.
Access to the Latest Technologies
Using older equipment also means you’re losing out on the latest
technologies. For years, gas station surveillance was notorious for
supplying grainy, low-resolution images, making it both difficult to
discern what was happening and impossible to identify the parties
involved. If your security system provides a similar level of quality, is
it fulfilling the organization’s needs?
Megapixel cameras using progressive scan imagers provide crisp,
high-resolution video. Wide Dynamic Range cameras provide more
clear images even with a very bright background. New VMS technologies
provide better investigation tools, allowing users to quickly
hone in on the evidence needed. Furthermore, video analytics can
derive additional value for the business from the security cameras.
Making the Case to Upgrade
Although there are greater capital cost outlays required for an organization
regularly upgrading security equipment, the benefits of
keeping supported technology that is in warranty generally outweigh
the costs. Benefiting from the latest technologies, having technical
support and warranty coverage, as well as reducing cyber-attack risks
make a strong case to plan for regular upgrades.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of Campus Security Today.