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Fast Facts: Solution Security and the Impact of Click 8.3’s EOL

Author: Stephen Sugumar

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If you’re a Click 8.3 user or curious about end-of-life (EOL) and solution security measures, we have some fast facts that will help keep you up-to-date and secure—as well as some more in-depth resources if you’re looking for more direction.

EOL and Security

Fast Fact: Once part of a solution has reached EOL unless something is done, it creates a window of vulnerability that puts your company’s data and systems at risk; the best practice is to prepare for EOL ahead of time to avoid any disruptions or data breaches.

EOL dates are something everyone has come across in their life at one point or another, but for Click 8.3 users, EOL is a very pressing issue. EOL dates for field service or organizational solutions put the entire organization’s data, client information, and operations at risk if not properly dealt with.

When we say an application, platform, or system is nearing or has reached its EOL date, that is the date it will no longer be receiving vendor updates or support.

  • Without vendor updates, an organization is responsible for mitigating its own security risks.
  • Likewise, without vendor support, an organization will be responsible for fixing any issues that may occur with, or due to that, unsupported application, platform, or system.

Cybersecurity attacks are the most obvious threat.

  • Any application, platform, or system that has reached EOL creates an insecure entry point for malware.
    • Even if the unsupported system itself is not infected, it can act as a gateway for things like monitoring bugs and spyware.
  • An organization’s IT team will need additional proactive and reactive efforts to ensure data remains secure.

Component Incompatibility Risks

Fast Fact: Security and functionality risks will increase over time, as the component that has reached EOL becomes more and more obsolete.

  • When part of a solution has reached its EOL date it doesn’t mean the entire solution is unsupported.
    • The components that are still supported will continue to need updates to function properly.
    • These components will quickly become incompatible with the component that has reached EOL.
  • This means the solution as a whole will require more and more resources to continue to work as intended and is more likely to have unexpected (and untested for) issues that can result in downtime or security risks.

Solution Security

Fast Fact: Easy extra steps like multi-factor authentication (MFA) can make a field service solution more secure; and if you’re going for a secure field service management system or platform, make sure the vendor is transparent with their certifications and security information.

Ransomware attacks have once again made recent headlines. If any area of your organization is hit by a successful cybersecurity attack, it’s going to negatively impact how clients view your business.

One of the major sellers of using a cloud-based field service solution, aside from the cost of ownership is significantly less, also happens to be one of the biggest areas of concern for people looking to go from on-premises to cloud solutions:

  • A vendor shares the responsibility for keeping your organization’s information secure.

If you select the right vendor, this shouldn’t be an area of concern at all, it should be a benefit.

Vendor and solution security is a very detailed subject, but if your goal is better solution security, two things can have a big impact:

  • Have a well-established application, platform, or system vendor that is transparent with their security status and measures.
  • Aligning your organization’s solution processes with best practices, including things like MFA.

Help and Resources

Fast Fact: Get your chief technology officer (CTO) and IT team involved if you have a solution or part of a solution that is nearing EOL (the sooner, the better); it allows for a more thorough risk assessment.

We’re always available for organizational health and risk assessments, and as both ClickSoftware and Salesforce experts, if you’re facing the Click 8.3 EOL deadline, we’re here to go over any questions or concerns you might have, with no obligations.

For more on MFA and Salesforce, read our blog; for more information on the upcoming Click 8.3 EOL security, Salesforce Field Service, and transitioning, read our eBook; and for Salesforce security information, visit this link.