Older defunct applications that are no longer supported on employee devices can linger and take up valuable space. However, sometimes workers need access to important legacy applications on their current computers and mobiles to accomplish important functions. The best solutions can combine easy accessibility with low maintenance.
Enterprises experiencing an overwhelming amount of unused apps can work around the need for them by translating mainframe tools into an easy internet space where the most useful functions will be available to the entire company.
An article for CSO recently cited information from Appthority, which found that so-called "dead" programs and others that have not been updated make up for a sizable portion of the applications on mobile devices. More than 37 percent of apps on iOS devices are not updated, the source said, and nearly 32 percent for Android are behind the latest version. Leaving these apps unattended could pose security risks for an organization, should hackers decide to exploit them.
Infosecurity Magazine quotes the mobile threat report from the source on some situations in which older applications are ignored and eventually lead to security hazards for businesses.
"In many cases, users don't update their apps to the latest versions, even though newer versions may have fixed bugs, patched vulnerabilities, or addressed security concerns," the report said. "In some cases, users are still running apps that may be several versions old, which represents similar security concerns to the ones brought up by Dead Apps."
Having to update and tend to an important application can be inefficient or difficult to enforce in the workplace. The web based terminal emulator is a solution to access that provides a modern, BYOD-friendly system while avoiding some of the perils of outside applications. This way, organizations can get the specific functions they need without creating unnecessary complexity.