
End of life software is a major target for hackers due to the degrading security.
End of life software no longer receives updates and patches so quickly becomes old and insecure. End of life software no longer receives support, so it cannot be fixed for you if it goes wrong. Under the GDPR regulation i t is your responsibility to protect this data to the best of your ability, but did you know that it goes against GDPR to use end of life software? This is because: Veterinary systems are full of data client names, addresses, phone numbers and bank account details. Being revealed as non-GDPR compliant can get you in trouble with both your clients and the ICO. Your practice may not be compliant with GDPR, as this requires up to date software. Out of date software runs slowly, so it’s likely that your system’s performance will be impacted, affecting your team, your clients and your patient care. Out of date software leaves you extremely vulnerable to cyber attacks which can damage your practice’s ability to function as well as your reputation. This will not only affect your team but your ability to look after the animals in your care. There will be nobody to fix it when it inevitably goes wrong, causing unnecessary downtime. What does End of Life Mean?Įnd of Life means that Microsoft will no longer update or support Skype for Business after a particular date – in this case, some point in 2025.īut what does this mean for your veterinary practice if you’re using Skype for Business? It means you need to start thinking about finding a replacement.
But with the advent of Microsoft Teams, Microsoft has announced that Skype for Business is going end of life as of September 2021 (that’s at the end of next month!).