Editorial

‘Seven out of ten London councils using out of date software’ claim

Mummified software still stalking the corridors of cash-starved London authority IT departments, it seems

Posted 14 December 2016 by Gary Flood


'Mummified' by Alex Hisaka on FlickrAlmost 70% of London borough councils are using at least one defunct operating system, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from UK disaster recovery firm Databarracks.

No less than 63% of the local authorities polled are using Windows Server 2003, for example, originally released in 2003 and which was formally discontinued by Microsoft in 2010, though some customers were able to get paid-for support for it until summer 2015.

But one in ten, astonishingly, are still using Windows Server 2000 – support for which ended at the start of the decade.

Meanwhile, over half (51%) are still on SQL Server 2005, support for which ended in April this year.

Commenting on his firm’s  results, Peter Groucutt, Databarracks’s MD, said, “It is easy for organisations to become paralysed by the choice of security options, but it is absolutely vital to not neglect the basics and to deliver a solid baseline.

“This starts with reviewing and auditing your IT infrastructure and upgrading to supported software versions.

“Being secure in 2017 doesn’t necessarily need to see huge investment in advanced cyber security solutions, but it does need to be the year that we ensure your fundamental security practices are up to scratch.”