Information security in general practice

Prevention and risk assessment

Risks of running unsupported software or hardware

Information security in general practice
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Last revised: 21 Apr 2023

Risks of running unsupported software or hardware

If your practice is running unsupported software or hardware, you can face some serious risks.

Some of these risks include:

  • No security patches or updates – most software vendors will release updates and security patches to protect against new security threats. When your software stops being supported, these updates stop for your system. Not using supported hardware and software can place your general practice at risk of data breaches and subsequently of complaints being filed, audits taking place and fines being issued.
  • Software incompatibility – software vendors may no longer provide support for their software if other software installed on your system is out of date.
  • Loss of functionality – software relies on the hardware it is installed on, so running unsupported software or hardware compromises information security.
  • Increased data breach risk – the damage to your practice’s reputation if you lose practice information to a data breach can be detrimental.

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