It has been 34 years since Microsoft released the first version of the Windows operating system and changed the way computers are used forever. To this day, the technology giant’s flagship product remains the most widely used operating system in companies of all sizes, holding a 75 to 86 percent market share.
One of the reasons behind its dominance of the OS market, besides the ease of use of Windows, is the way the operating system is updated. While most home users do not jump for joy when another window with a newly available update appears on their screen, for companies Windows updates represent regular improvements to the functionality of the entire IT infrastructure—they reliably fix reported errors, eliminate security vulnerabilities, increase performance, and ensure the necessary level of data protection—meaning internal IT departments do not have to take full responsibility for these matters.
To ensure the safest possible environment, updates need to be installed as soon as possible. However, since there is no magic that can tell you with certainty how a particular update will affect your specific machines, applications, connections, and settings, the only sensible approach is to back up machines before every update.
A brief look at past issues with Windows 10 updates
Simply put, every update carries a risk. Microsoft thoroughly tests each version before release, but an operating system is highly complex software that must be compatible with a long list of other software and hardware. In 2018 alone, users experienced serious issues with four of the twelve major Windows updates. The result was crashing systems that were unusable for work, and even extensive data loss.
One solution may seem obvious: “I will avoid bugs in updates by never updating the system!” However, this is a fundamental misconception, because using outdated software versions is always the more dangerous option. Not only do you risk limited compatibility, but you are also inviting a security breach of your IT infrastructure—sooner or later, hackers find a security vulnerability in almost every program, including an OS, and the most effective method of successfully protecting your own data is to use regularly updated applications supported by a dedicated long-term development team.
The October Windows 10 update, which we have previously written about, was primarily intended to patch newly discovered security vulnerabilities once again and add several new features. However, the rollout of the update had to be halted after a few days, as reports began to multiply from users whose personal documents were deleted by the update process or whose hard drives were damaged, even preventing recovery. There is no need to elaborate on the fact that any downtime, regardless of its cause, is highly undesirable and costly for companies.
In conclusion
Experts around the world agree, as does every affected end user. Keeping systems up to date is the surest way to prevent security breaches, avoid dealing with bugs, and enjoy the most reliable performance possible on your machines. Backing up systems before every OS update, in turn, is the only way to avoid almost all of the risks associated with updates.
With Acronis Backup, organizations can create full-image backups that enable granular recovery of individual files as well as recovery of the entire IT environment. The intuitive user interface also greatly simplifies the entire process. And with Acronis Universal Restore technology, which is included in all our backup solutions, you can even restore to target hardware completely different from the source hardware, allowing you to smoothly transition to machines that are optimal for your business.
Based on English-language Acronis sources
Source: https://www.acronis.cz/aktualizujete-na-firemnich-pocitacich-windows-10-prvni-radeji-zalohujte/
Article author: ZEBR.ai editorial team
