190155965_adobe_end_400.jpg

The End is Nigh for Adobe Flash Player

190155965_adobe_end_400.jpg

Once the cornerstone of many websites on the Internet, Adobe Flash Player is finally going into retirement. As soon as December 31, 2020 rolls around, support for the software will end. This means that it needs to be removed from your business’ technology before then.

Adobe Flash Player was deprecated back in 2017, but its official end of life date lands at the end of this year. What this means is that the software will gradually show more and more vulnerabilities that will not be mitigated, and therefore, the software will be far more susceptible to attack. Therefore, it is important that you check to make sure that anyplace that Flash Player would be—including your Internet browsers on your computers and mobile devices—to make sure that Flash isn’t still installed there.

Chances are pretty good that you haven’t used Flash Player for some time, simply because other options are more useful. Despite the platform once dominating the space, it will soon be little more than a liability. Unfortunately, this also means that any legacy software that relies on Flash will not function after the year ends and will also need to be removed.

Reach out to our team to find out how you can help keep vulnerabilities out of your IT by removing software when the time comes. Give us a call at 810.230.9455 today.

microsoft_end_of_life_400.jpg

A Checklist of 40 Microsoft Software Titles Reaching End of Life/Extended Support in July 2016

microsoft_end_of_life_400.jpg

What kind of Microsoft products does your business use on a regular basis? If you can’t answer this question, you could be in trouble when it comes time to update your crucial applications and operating systems. This is a necessary part of working with technology; if your software can’t be considered secure, you need to upgrade to a more recent, better-functioning tool, or find yourself in a dangerous situation.

Microsoft in particular has a very specific way of handling support for their products. The software giant will provide what’s called “mainstream support,” which involves accepting requests for new features and hotfixes for key issues. Once mainstream support ends, the product enters an “extended support” period, where all warranties end, and the only support your product receives is security updates and patches.

Both of these periods last for five years, meaning that the lifespan of a piece of software is effectively ten years. Once extended support ends, the product reaches its “end of life,” in which Microsoft no longer supports the software at all.

Below, you’ll find a list of all Microsoft products that will reach their end of support date on July 12th, 2016. If your organization is currently using any of this software, you should seriously consider upgrading before it becomes a security discrepancy.

Service Packs Reaching End of Support

  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013
  • Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 Service Pack 2
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Business Intelligence
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Developer
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Enterprise
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Core
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Standard
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Web
  • Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
  • Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Endpoint Protection
  • Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Endpoint Protection for Linux
  • Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Endpoint Protection for Mac

Products Moving from Mainstream to Extended Support
Products marked with * expire on July 10th, 2016, rather than July 12th, 2016.

  • * Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System Headquarters 2.0
  • * Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System Store Operations 2.0
  • Microsoft Project Server 2010 July 12, 2016
  • Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011
  • Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0
  • Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 Premium
  • Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 Standard

Products Moving to End of Support

  • Microsoft ActiveSync 4.2
  • Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 Developer Edition
  • Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 Enterprise Edition
  • Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Branch Edition
  • Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Developer Edition
  • Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Enterprise Edition
  • Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 Developer Edition
  • Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 Enterprise Edition
  • Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Connected Services Framework Billing Standard Business Event 3.0
  • Microsoft Connected Services Framework Order Handling Standard Business Event 3.0
  • Microsoft Connected Services Framework Server 3.0
  • Microsoft Connected Services Framework Standard Server 3.0
  • Microsoft Connected Services Framework Standard Server with Standard Business Events 3.0
  • Microsoft Visual J# Version 2.0 Redistributable Package
  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server

Is your organization is facing an end-of-life event for any of these technologies? If so, contact NuTech Services. We’ll work with you to determine the best course of action for replacing your dying software. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

no_ie_support_400.jpg

Any Version of Internet Explorer Prior to 11 Can’t Be Trusted

no_ie_support_400.jpg

We often talk about how important it is that your business use the most recent and up-to-date versions of your software solutions, but it’s not often that we get to say that people using Internet Explorer 11 have the right idea. As it turns out, nearly a quarter of all Windows PCs are still using unsupported versions of Internet Explorer, with half of them being found on computers still running Windows XP. What has this world come to?

Researchers at Duo Security came to this conclusion following an analysis of over two million devices. In particular, those who were using Windows XP were likely to be running older versions of Internet Explorer, and were most susceptible to hacking attacks and infections from viruses and malware. This past January, Microsoft stopped supporting all versions of Internet Explorer that aren’t the current version (Internet Explorer 11), which means that there are plenty of active web browsers that are vulnerable. Among those included are Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9, and 10. In fact, half of the PCs running Windows XP are still running Internet Explorer 7 and 8.

Duo Security also found that 72 percent of versions of Java and 60 percent of versions of Flash are out of date on user devices, both of which are huge statistics that speak volumes about how end-users handle their technology. It’s an accident just waiting to happen, especially in conjunction with outdated web browsers and operating systems. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your technology is in proper working order, and that your workstations aren’t putting your company at risk.

Keeping your business’s mission-critical technology up to date with the latest security patches and updates is a crucial part of managing your IT infrastructure. Considering the fact that all it takes is a single workstation that’s out of date to put your business at risk, you shouldn’t be willing to compromise your organization’s security just to keep using the same old technology. Therefore, you need to take proactive measures to upgrade your technology before it reaches its end of support date.

Upgrading your technology can be a challenge, but with NuTech Services by your side, it’s much easier. We can thoroughly assess your organization’s specific needs, and consult you on how best to move forward with your chosen technology upgrade. The last thing that you want is to go forward with an upgrade and find that you no longer have access to your mission-critical legacy applications.

Or, if you’re simply having trouble keeping up with your technology’s patches and security updates, we have a solution for that too. NuTech Services can remotely monitor and distribute patches and security updates for all of your software solutions, including your operating systems! You’ll never have to worry about running unsupported software again, and your infrastructure can maintain maximum security at all times.

To learn more, reach out to NuTech Services at 810.230.9455.