The Cautious Vs. the Bold

Many large IT departments exercise a significant degree of caution in ensuring their networks function well. This generally involves staying a version or two behind the latest technologies. However, greatness often requires boldness. This has been a balancing act that companies throughout history, from IBM to Apple, have struggled with. Very often, IT departments have stayed on the conservative side of this spectrum — technology generally undergoes a serious amount of testing and waiting before it is deployed slowly throughout the enterprise, generally a couple of years behind the technology that workers themselves use at home.

In the days when companies could not experience stability of a product till the third version, it was understandable. However, these days, far fewer testing cycles are required, and products are far more stable and secure from the onset than before. Thus, the models of extreme caution might not be applicable anymore.

While there might always be a need for some level of testing and planning before an upgrade, it’s important to keep in mind if a large delay is actually hurting the security, stability, and performance of your network, rather than ensuring it. Your IT service provider can help you determine how much caution, and how much boldness, is worth implementing in this day and age.