Upgrading PC software 

This article reviews the current upgrade strategy for many of Australia’s most popular business software products

by Garry Robinson

When Microsoft introduced Windows XP, it marked the first major introduction of a new upgrading strategy called product lifecycle. The main product affected by this upgrade policy was Windows 95. Users had to pay the full upgrade price for Windows XP, because XP upgrades would not support Windows 95 operating system.

This was a perfectly legitimate approach by Microsoft, but highlights that consumers are now faced with software becoming obsolete. These regular reviews are becoming an important business operation.

PRODUCT LIFE-CYCLE

In the past, PC users have been upgrading their software only when they could see enough worthwhile new features, however, some have run into substantial issues when undertaking an upgrade. These can cost more than the software itself and are a major deterrent to upgrading. Microsoft now has a policy of supporting software for a finite period of time, generally no more than five years. The popular products to expire in the next two years include Windows NT 3.5 and Windows 98 in July 2003 and Office 97 in July 2004.  This is discussed in greater detail for all Microsoft software products at >
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/discontinue.asp

or Office support at

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];lifeOffice

Different approaches apply to other software. A good example of this is virus scanner software. These products require continual upgrades to the signature files and to the software itself. Other products that require more regular updates are accounting software such as Quicken, Sapphire One and MYOB, as these have to be upgraded to keep up with statutory changes.

 

UPGRADES MORE TROUBLE THAN THEY ARE WORTH?

When your software nears the end of the product life cycle, you either have to upgrade your software or take some of the following steps.

1) Ensure your software disks are stored in a secure place such as a fireproof safe.

2) Have internal personnel trained in the use and support of your software.

3) An external organisation may provide long term support. They too will need copies of the original software.

4) Download upgrade patches and store them with your original disks on CDROM.

5) If your software has a knowledge base such as MSDN, you should save these files. You may need them in the future.

Keeping old versions of software is not difficult. Viruses, computer harddisk crashes, theft, fire and installations of new hardware and software can render old software inoperable.

SOFTWARE SUBSCRIPTION

A new method of purchasing software is called “Software Subscription”. Symantec maintains its security software on subscription services very suited to continual upgrades. Microsoft Office now has a yearly subscription offer and upgrades of software are part of the service. This includes remembering to update software, yearly payments and finding those special passwords and numbers that were not documented.

http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/subscribe/sub info.html

http://www.microsoft.com/australia/licensing/ **

** Important News for Office XP Subscription Customers *

In May 2001, we introduced Office XP Subscription, a way to license Office on an annual subscription basis. Our recent product evaluations have shown that, while customers do find this model useful, there is confusion around the exact mechanics of this subscription model. On this basis, we are discontinuing the program. To minimise inconvenience, we are offering subscription customers a replacement copy of Office XP (perpetual version) at no additional charge. This version will never expire and is eligible for future product upgrades. For details on obtaining your replacement copy of Office XP, please call 1800 642 008. http://www.microsoft.com/australia/office/

CRITICAL UPGRADES

It is vital that every business fully maintains its antivirus software security, firewall and backups.

ONLINE SERVICES

Some services are proving that they are worth running on the other side of the company firewall. Web-based email services allow you to access your email from anywhere with nothing more than a browser. Management of databases through online interfaces. These types of services require companies to maintain high speed access to the internet from company computers. Examples can be found with Oracle outsourcing services and with Microsoft’s Live and XML undertakings.

http://www.oracle.com/online_services/

http://www.microsoft.net/

A NEW UPGRADE STRATEGY

Rethink your computer upgrade strategies by adopting a product early
in its life cycle and using it until the end of the product life cycle. Research when your products are to be unsupported by the vendors, and consider an upgrade before that time. The most suitable time to upgrade would be about six to twelve months after a major product release, to allow time for the first upgrade patch of the software to be available. Once you have installed the software, you will now have four to five years of continuous use of the software before you need to think about upgrading again. This should give you the stability that makes long term use of software profitable.

FREQUENCY OF MINOR UPGRADES

In between major upgrades, users can take advantage of software patches that are generally downloadable from the Internet. These software patches also find their way into the retail version of the software within a few months of the original version. The software patch is an important part of the software lifecycle, because the product has then been tested by a large number of users.

AUTOMATIC UPDATES

A feature of new software is the availability of automatic updates from
the internet as part of the product itself. Delay these upgrades for a number of weeks after they become available to be confident the software has been tested by a large number of users.

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