Apple has released Big Sur, its latest operating system upgrade. Big Sur is the latest in a long line of updates that brings new and improved functionality to Mac users. Like any operating system upgrade, you have to ask yourself (or your IT professionals), do the benefits outweigh the risks? Should I upgrade immediately, or should I wait?
There are circumstances where patience makes you vulnerable. There are zero-day exploits, for which there is no current software patch and the exploit is determined to be significant; a hacker could easily compromise your computer systems today. Software companies like Microsoft, Google, and Adobe do their best to make sure IT departments know about the zero-day exploits as quickly as they are discovered.
There are also circumstances where the benefits do not outweigh the risks. Many organizations looked at Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system in 2012 and chose to pass on upgrading, instead, waiting 3 years for Windows 10. The incremental benefits of upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8 didn’t outweigh the fact Windows 8 was business unfriendly, applications did not shut down correctly, and the integration of everything via one login account created a single point of failure that could cause all applications on the computer to be insecure. Despite the best efforts of Adobe, Oracle, and other software companies, their applications were still at risk.
Then there are circumstances where patience keeps you productive. The Big Sur update is one of those times. Sophos, Cylance, and other security software vendors that provide anti-virus and anti-malware protection have determined that upgrading your Mac to Big Sur disables their protections. While your operating system may be current, you are now completely unprotected from tens of thousands of viruses and malware. In short order, all these security vendors will update their software to work with Big Sur. There is no harm in staying on macOS Catalina in the meantime.
As a trusted partner, CyberFort Advisors can help your business make sense of when to be patient and when to act. We can create a custom plan unique to your business needs that prevents security incidents that either cause major downtime or make you eminently vulnerable. Contact us at 1 (866) 221-4004 or info@cyberfortadvisors.com to learn more.