Following the recent strain of the WannaCry ransomware attack, experts have cautioned that the best protection for systems running the Microsoft Windows operating system, is to have downloaded a patch issued by Microsoft in March.
1. What if my server is no longer supported by Windows?
If your system is no longer supported by Microsoft (this includes Windows XP, and 2003) then this means your system is extremely vulnerable to hackers. In the voice recording world, a similar cyberattack could mean the loss of voice recordings and extremely personal data if a recording server is not up to date with the latest security patch.
2. What options do I have if this is the case?
Business Systems (UK) Ltd provide a wide variety of systems from different manufacturers and depending on the system, it will most likely consist of servers that utilise Microsoft Windows as their Operating System.
Whilst the implementation of Microsoft Security Patches is not the responsibility of Business Systems, we do appreciate that customers will want to manage updates in-line with all other affected servers on their estate. As a result, Business Systems can provide you with advice and guidance on how best to manage the implementation of Microsoft patches.
Some manufacturers certify MS patches on a monthly basis and Business Systems can proactively inform you when this has been done, if relevant to your system. Where the manufacturer does not provide this, the general advice is that you may patch as per your normal IT policy.
With either option, our advice is that thorough system testing should be carried out after installing Microsoft patches to ensure all relevant systems have started up and the system is operating as expected. Should the patching results in system errors, it is recommended to uninstall the patches and contact us for further guidance.
For any additional information you may need on this topic (regardless of whether you are a Business Systems customer or not), please speak to our team of experts who will be able to provide best-fit technological advice or call us on 0800 458 2988.
