ESM Software Upgrades and Business Continuity

By Robert Hall, Support Analyst, Marval

Enterprise Service Management (ESM) is a constantly evolving operation and many ESM tools are also evolving to reflect the market’s emerging needs.

Marval MSM is one of them. It is a highly configurable application with innovative features that integrate some of the industry’s most advanced technologies and updates. Any of the tool’s upgrades includes, on top of the necessary patches and fixes, a number of new or improved features that can help organizations manage their IT or enterprise-wide services more efficiently and at lower cost. And, as most responsible software vendors do, we always recommend to our customers to keep up with the upgrades.

Let’s be honest here. Software upgrades (in general) are a hassle. They can be an annoying disruption to day-to-day operations, an overload to the (already overwhelmed) Support Team and a nuisance to users. Service Management software upgrades are not an exception of course. They questions is, can we avoid them? Or, better, should we avoid them?

Software upgrades are considered a good practice in business, and there’s a good reason for that. They come packed with several operational and business benefits, including enhanced security, improved productivity, increased compliance, IT optimization and of course, business continuity.

I will focus on business continuity (BC), which is a crucial and constant demand for any business, and directly linked to IT security. organizations need their operations to run continually, smoothly and without interruptions. Interruptions usually mean lost productivity and lost money for the business (without considering the reputation damage). Having an old version of your software can result to system crashes, interoperability issues and security risks. Service Management tools manage sensitive customer data. Old software can be vulnerable and a liability to your organization’s IT security, putting your customers’ private information at risk.  Any security breach is a disruption to your company’s business continuity (and a very dangerous one, too). But system crashes and interoperability or compatibility issues can jeopardise your BC strategy as well, interrupting your normal operations and functions, causing delays in customer service and impacting the customer’s experience in a negative way.

Software upgrades are there for a reason: because they are necessary to help you keep your organization safe, your staff productive, your costs down and your customers happy. By keeping up with the recommended upgrades, you enhance your organization’s competitiveness, compliance and sustainability; and actively support your business continuity plan.