Perhaps you’ve heard a statement like this before and questioned its validity, but as time passes, this notion seems to become truer and truer. Innovation is occurring at a blistering pace and businesses that don’t respect the need to modernize and advance are being left in the dust and trampled over by the competition.

When it comes to software, in particular, the occasional upgrade is necessary in order to be competitive. However, it’s not enough to just replace your existing platform with something that’s newer and more functional. There’s a lot that goes into upgrading business software, and your organization’s key decision makers must be tuned in every step of the way.

Upgrading Software: Food for Thought

Believe it or not, upgrading software can open your business up to certain risks if you aren’t careful and deliberate. An improper upgrade could create problems like: a competitive disadvantage, loss of productivity, compatibility challenges, security issues, supply chain issues, and problems with innovation. A well-executed upgrade, on the other hand, can lead to increased efficiency and greater profitability.

As you consider upgrading business software within your company, here are some specific challenges, concerns, and opportunities that must be handled.

1. Can You Refresh or Optimize Your Existing Software?

When clients discuss upgrading their asset performance management software, PinnacleART encourages them to think about things from a critical perspective.

“Fundamentally, upgrades are for the best—they often offer new user interfaces, new technologies, and improved user friendliness. However, realistically, upgrading to a new software version does present some challenges which are inherent to a platform upgrade,” PinnacleART explains. “The situation is compounded for users that have added a substantial volume of customization to their installation.”

Keeping this in mind, it’s always wise to look at the possibility of refreshing or optimizing the existing software before making a full investment into something else.

Refreshing software may look like turning off certain functionalities, enabling ones that came standard with the system but haven’t been used, or introducing new functionalities through available upgrades. This may or may not be possible, but it’s worth a try.

“Besides the introduction of functionality and features in new versions of software, you may also see improvements to User Experience, accessibility, performance, and security,” learning management consultant Meredith Henson writes. “New versions may also include bug fixes, access to new language translations, and compatibility with new plugins or add-ons.

2. Find Out What the End Users Want

The problem with letting people in the C-suite select software during an upgrade is that they’re rarely the ones using the software. For best results, you need to involve the people who are actually going to be using the software on a daily basis – the end users. This may be your employees or your customers. Whatever the case may be, don’t discount their input. A successful rollout is highly dependent on their satisfaction.

3. Prioritize Security

Security, security, security…it has to be at the top of your mind. With the amount of data that’s siphoned through modern software solutions, robust security features are an absolute must. Do your homework and immediately cross off any solution that doesn’t satisfy your requirements.

4. Think About Integration

It’s one thing to find a software upgrade you like, but can it realistically be integrated into your existing tech stack? Compatibility is something you must take into account. Without the proper integration, an upgrade could cause more friction than the software you’re replacing.

Make Scalability a Priority

When investing in new software, you need to think about the scalability of the solution. As a growing business, the last thing you want is to find yourself in a similar place in six months or a year – looking to upgrade software. By investing in a scalable solution that moves up with you as you grow, you can save time, money, and frustration.