Don’t keep putting it off. Do your Claris FileMaker upgrade now.

The odd thing about chores is that the longer you leave them the harder they are to do. Think of that irritating task, cleaning the oven. You know you should do it but there’s always too much else to be getting on with. And because the oven still works fine, there’s no urgency. 

But as time goes on, the worse the problem gets. Your oven gets dirtier and dirtier, and this puts you off dealing with it. What would have been an easy task becomes progressively more difficult. So you definitely don’t want to tackle it now. 

That’s until a problem crops up, for example smoke coming out of the oven when you turn it on.

The temptation to leave things as they are

It’s often the same with businesses and their software systems. You know you should upgrade to the latest version (in the case of Claris FileMaker, that’s FileMaker 2023) but the software still works just fine. And, as you know from experience with other software, upgrades can cause problems. Why rock the boat? 

As time goes on and you miss more upgrades, the upgrade becomes a bigger, more disruptive task. So you keep your head down and carry on with dealing with all the urgent day-to-day issues facing you. 

The trouble is that you will eventually hit an issue of some kind. As software ages, problems emerge. The risks become more acute once your version of the software is no longer supported. You might be surprised by how quickly this can happen. Claris FileMaker 19 was launched in 2020, and support will stop in 2024.

Growing security and compatibility risks

Once your software is no longer supported, it stops receiving security updates to protect it against new cyber threats. Compatibility issues grow – as other software systems are upgraded, your system finds it harder to work seamlessly with them. This can lead to the need for workarounds, damaging productivity. At the same time the system can slow down, frustrating your team and further affecting productivity.

The risks you face

Let’s summarise the problems that can accumulate as software ages.

• Cyber security risks: there are many bad actors out there and the ways they attack are constantly evolving. You need the latest security features to safeguard your data.
• Compatibility issues: you start having problems exchanging files with other software systems or when you upgrade hardware such as desktop computers.
• Slow processing speeds: a sluggish system causes frustration and delays which ultimately hits your bottom line. 
• Bugs: those niggly little problems where some aspect of a system stops working will only get worse over time.

What you gain from a FileMaker 2023 upgrade

Upgrading to Claris FileMaker 2023 gives you a safer, tougher, faster and more dependable system. Beyond these essentials, you can also benefit from new features.

The answer: little and often

It’s all too easy and too tempting to avoid upgrading your software, but that only stores up trouble for the future. If your system is important or even mission-critical for your business, this isn’t a sensible strategy. 

In fact upgrading your system to the latest version, FileMaker 2023, is not even a chore if you get an expert to do it for you. And neither is it a risk. Our people will ensure that everything is safely backed up before installing the upgrade and, once the upgrade is done, that all your systems work as they should. 

The takeaway: stay up to date. And if you’re not, upgrade now. We can help.