There are few simpler ways to improve your device than powering it off at the end of the day. This allows it to complete any outstanding software updates before a good sleep. For most of us, anything over 16 hours without rest leads to critical errors. So be sure to give your computer regular opportunities to update and refresh. As well as improved system performance, ensuring the latest software updates are applied will enhance security.
The most common reason for software updates is to roll out security patches that can protect against vulnerabilities. Patching vulnerabilities is the quickest and easiest way to ensure that your personal and business data is secure from malware, ransomware, and other malicious attacks.
Give you access to new features and functionality
All the latest features that allow you to optimise your business processes, communicate with colleagues more effectively, and create better end results, are pushed out via updates.
New features can also increase your productivity such as Microsoft Co-Pilot’s AI prompts, allowing you to produce great long form content whilst helping with your lateral thinking.
Plus, would you really want to be late to the party when your colleagues are creating personalised reactions on Microsoft Teams whilst you’re still confined to expressing emotions in a circular yellow format?
Apply bug fixes
Software bugs can range from low impact graphical glitches to high impact feature blocking issues. These are often missed by software developers during releases and fixes must be applied in updates. Ensuring your updates are applied can often fix these bugs before they impact your users.
Comply with Cyber Essentials and other certifications
The Cyber Essentials certification is the most widely recognised IT systems certification in the UK. Possessing this certification can help you gain the trust of your clients and stand out from other companies when bidding for contracts.
It requires that all software and applications are up to date and on a version that is actively supported by the software supplier. This avoids outdated versions that may introduce vulnerabilities that are no longer maintained by the developers.
Update policies must also be in place, but infrequently restarting machines can often prevent those updates from completing on user’s computers.
But how?
As we can see, there are many benefits to keeping software up to date on computers but what is the easiest way to actually do this?
Method 1 – Give that computer a rest
Shutting down your computer at the end of the day will give it the chance to apply updates before shutting down. REMEMBER: Closing the lid, powering off the monitor, or just locking the computer will not suffice, the computer needs to be shut down for the software updates to apply.
Method 2 – Windows Update
Searching Windows for “Check for Updates” will give you access to the Windows update centre where you can see all the outstanding updates and instruct the computer to apply them.
“But all my users will never reliably do that”
All too often that is true. But here at Vinters, we can help to take the human interaction away from the process altogether, helping your users to deliver the best results and taking all worry away from you!
Our Remote Machine Monitoring (RMM) can provide you valuable insight into which devices have outstanding updates and which of your users have not been giving their devices a rest. This visibility can help to shape user habits, and we can even remotely force updates to apply, keeping your company’s data secure and retaining your compliance with Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001.
To learn more about the Managed IT services that Vinters can provide, head to our services page or give our team a call at 01622 524 200
