After paying a sizable up-front cost to have your website built, you may be wondering if it’s really necessary to install regular CMS updates as they become available. Many nonprofit professionals mistakenly assume that websites are a one-time expense, when in reality, they should become a line item in your organization’s annual budget. So why is it so critical to update your CMS? Here are the top reasons to regularly update your content management system.
1. Security
The first and most important reason to keep your CMS up to date is to protect your site from security vulnerabilities. While you may think your site is too small to be a target for hackers, there is still reason for concern if your CMS is not current. According to opensourcecms.com, more than 4 million websites are currently powered by WordPress, while more than 600,000 are powered by Joomla. Judging by these statistics, even though your website may not be the most popular one out there, the CMS running it could be well known by hackers. Furthermore, because WordPress and Joomla are open source systems, the code that powers them can be viewed by anyone, allowing hackers to study the code and look for loopholes. If your website is running an outdated version of your CMS, hackers will be able to find your site and target its vulnerabilities. In order to find and remove these vulnerabilities, open source developers release security patches in new releases.
2. Bug Fixes
While open source content management systems are heavily tested before they’re released to the public, there is always the possibility that bugs can be overlooked. If a bug is introduced in a given version of the CMS, subsequent releases will often include a fix.
3. Performance and Feature Enhancements
As CMS developers constantly seek ways to make their software faster and more efficient, subsequent releases of the software will often include performance enhancements. Likewise, CMS updates can also include features that were previously unavailable. Many times, upon completing an update, you’ll notice subtle differences in the user interface that make the overall system more intuitive and easy to use.
While it is critical to keep your site up to date, it’s also possible that updating the CMS can cause conflicts with outdated plugins and components. If you need assistance with WordPress or Joomla cms updates, feel free to drop us a line on our contact form. Our team would be happy to help.