The reason why it is important to keep your CMS up to date
Many websites today are developed in a CMS such as WordPress, Joomla, Umbraco and others. The common denominator for these CMS is that they are open source – meaning that they have an open source code, and therefore everyone can see the source code for both the CMS, plugins, themes, etc. Therefore, new updates for these are also regularly released, which may contain new functions, improve performance and strengthen security measures. This is why it is important to keep the CMS and website elements up to date.
Statistics reveal, however, that a very large part of the hacked websites is due to unupdated elements on the website. According to Sucuri's, a leading provider of website security solutions, ”2023 Hacked Website & Malware Threat Report” 39.1% of CMS installations were outdated at the time of infection. In addition, nearly 14% of compromised websites had at least one vulnerable plugin or theme.
Although security is a very important topic, there are also other good reasons to keep the website's elements up to date - it provides, among other things:
- Enhanced security
- Improved performance
- Compatibility with other technologies
- New functions
- Improved support
Enhanced security
As written above, website security is a major reason for ensuring that one's website is updated. Because the source code is open to everyone, hackers exploit the vulnerabilities that are in an out-of-date CMS, theme or plugin/extension. This allows them to create access to the website.
When you ensure that your CMS is continuously updated, you will minimize the risk of falling victim to hackers creating unauthorized access to the website. New updates often contain new security measures, and thus help to protect your website against new threats.
Improved performance
New updates to the CMS do not only contain new security measures. They can also help ensure improved performance, including faster load times and better server utilization.
You will find that an outdated CMS becomes slower and more resource-intensive, and this can lead to new challenges. On one hand, it will affect the user experience negatively, but it can also lead to higher hosting costs due to inefficient operation. This can therefore have a major impact on whether your website is visited, and that the visitors do not leave the website again immediately because it loads slowly or provides a poor user experience.
Compatibility with other technologies
The technology is constantly evolving. Therefore, it is also important that your website is compatible with new technologies. The vast majority of websites have added several different third-party extensions, which are also continuously developed - and thus also receive updates. Compatibility with these third-party extensions therefore also depends on your CMS being up-to-date.
If you choose not to keep your CMS up to date, there is a great risk that errors will occur on your website or that there are elements that do not work. This can lead to downtime, which can cost both time and money to fix.
New functions
As technology develops, new opportunities also arise. This also applies to your CMS, including the installed plugins and extensions. These options can include new functions as well as improvements to existing functions. You will also get access to these via updates.
For example, an update to an e-commerce plugin can include new payment methods, improved inventory management or an optimized checkout process that can make it easier for your customers to complete purchases. Likewise, an update to your CMS can introduce new editing tools that make it easier for your team to create and manage content. These features can save time, improve workflows and ensure that your website is always competitive.
Improved support
If you have an outdated CMS or outdated plugins and extensions, it can be difficult to get support when you need it. In the worst case scenario, you will end up paying much more for support than if you had kept your CMS up to date. This is because it often takes longer to investigate the problem in order to find the right solution.
If you solve many of your technical challenges yourself, you will find that it also becomes more difficult to find the right documentation and relevant resources, as these are also continuously updated in line with new updates.
When you keep your CMS up to date, you also ensure that you get the best possible support, which can ultimately save time, money and a lot of frustration.
Let itpilot help with the updates
There can be many reasons why you are not regularly updating your CMS. It is also not always that the updates run smoothly - compatibility problems can arise or an update can fail. It can have major consequences for your website if you simply update and do not know how to solve the potential problems that may arise.
At itpilot, we have extensive experience with the development and operation of websites built in different CMS. With our security and update subscription, we ensure that your CMS is continuously updated. Then you can instead focus on your core business. Read more about our security and update subscription or contact us to hear more about your options.
