November 25, 1996
Automatic Software Updates: The tension between the eager user and the IS department
By Bob O'Donnell
I hate feeling left behind, particularly when it comes to computer technology. Like
most end-users, I want to know that I'm working with all the latest hardware and software
so that I can take maximum advantage of the tools available to me.
So it probably comes as no surprise that I'm pretty excited about all the companies
starting to offer automatic (or nearly automatic) software updates over the Web. With
little more than a regular connection to the Internet, I can be sure that several of the
software products I use, such as Norton
Utilities 2.0, are kept up to date with all the latest bug fixes, feature revs, and
compatibility tweaks. In fact, now that a few of them offer this capability, I wish all
the others did. I can't think of a better way for anti-virus utilities to keep my system
safe from the ever-growing number of new viruses, for example.
But somehow I don't think all the hard-working folks on our Help Desk would agree.
Every day they struggle to fix end-user problems and frankly, a reasonable portion of
those problems come from user-installed upgrades or new software that somehow breaks the
company-installed standard configuration. When end-users can get, or in some cases
unknowingly receive, software updates on a regular, though ad hoc, basis, the potential
number of unique combinations (and potential problems) they'll have to deal will become
astronomical.
I'm sure they and other IS managers considered the draconian measures of complete
desktop control that some companies enforce as a means to avoid this problem, but
undoubtedly realized that those policies would not work in our environment. Plus, they'd
have to shut off access to the 'Net to completely enforce this and again, that's not an
acceptable option for our business. Instead, like most IS help desks, they're working to
balance company standards with individual needs.
The issue is going to be a perplexing one for many IS departments, but given the
obvious appeal of and momentum behind quick and easy software updates, I think it's one
they're going to have to figure out quickly. Netscape's recent announcement of support for
Marimba's Castanet Tuner
application distribution technology in the forthcoming release of Communicator, for
example, is just one of the many signs that IS departments will soon be dealing with
automatic software updates on a large scale.
The irony here is that keeping up with the latest software versions is generally a good
thing and one that many help desks could probably benefit from. Although marketing
inducements to constantly get the latest and greatest versions of software are often
overblown, there are many sound reasons to keep users' systems updated. In addition to
increasing functionality, maintaining compatibility with operating systems and other
critical applications, for example, often requires fairly regular updates.
Unfortunately, because of the horrendously complicated intertwining of today's
operating systems, applications, drivers, and other software components, where changes in
one element can have ripple effects throughout many other layers, this upgrading process
generally turns into a never ending cycle. Some IS managers and end-users point to this
fact as a reason for never entering into the game, but this ostrich-like approach doesn't
seem appropriate for today's competitive business environments and ignores the realities
of how today's computer systems work.
The truth is, the move toward automatic software updates is a challenge to slow-moving
IS departments that are resistant to rapid changes. The old rules of desktop stability and
consistency are giving way to a more dynamic, constantly changing environment driven by
the Web. It will take important changes in IS thinking and procedures to stay up to date.
Next week, I'll look at how these changes are affecting the software vendors who are
creating them.
©
Copyright 1996, by InfoWorld Publishing Corp., a
subsidiary of IDG Communications, Inc. Reprinted from InfoWorld,
155 Bovet Road, San Mateo, CA 94402. Further reproduction is prohibited.
