Should Manager only have Supported systems requirements

1

One of Manager’s defining features is the amount of platforms it supports as well as the very low system requirements in terms of Memory, CPU, Hard drive space etc. This is obviously a fantastic thing.

But I occasionally see users having problems with Manager that is down to the age of their operating system such as using a very old MacOS version or an unsupported and obsolete Windows system such as Windows 7.

Given that Manager is a product that is critical to the running of your business, I think security of the computer/Server being used to run Manager is of paramount importance. I won’t even get started on how many people don’t backup Manager as unbelievable as that is!

I don’t think it is acceptable that people using a business critical program like Manager are still running Windows 7 - which no longer receives any updates from Microsoft, and the same argument with Apple operating systems. In addition programs like Webview 2 - which currently work on Windows 7 will no longer be supported by Microsoft soon forcing users to use a version of webview 2 that will not be updated on Windows 7/8 etc.

I have seen users state that they cannot afford to upgrade to Windows 10, which means that their business is not viable or sustainable if you cannot afford basic security on a computer.

I realise that this may be contentious for some, but in the interests of protecting users, I wonder if Manager should have a banner update stating that their operating system or browser is unsupported and giving these users enough time - say six months from now to remedy the situation. It avoids problems having to support legacy and unsupported operating systems and helps to protect non-IT users from themselves. If all programs had a cut off date for supporting older operating systems, the computer world would be much more secure.

I loved Windows 7 and for me personally, I think it was the best operating system that Microsoft ever created. However, even I would not run Windows 7 today as it is significantly more insecure than Windows 10 and 11.

It is not the role of Manager to dictate to users what operating system they use obviously, but I think as a business product, it should require a minimum standard of security (operating system) as it is a business product with critical data on it after all.

2 Likes
2

we cannot expect users to access Manager only from a system using an OS which is still under support from the vendor. you may install your Manager server on a very secure system but the users might access your business file from a mobile browser running Android Froyo. remember that irrespective of the OS, your data is at risk as long as you can access your business file.

3

The choice of which operating system a user or business runs is that user or businesses decision and typically depends on many factors such as

  • existing hardware and OS software licenses
  • the full range of application software run, its hardware and software requirements.
  • user base training
  • overall equipment life time planing.

The import point is this is not the same for every user or every business across all jurisdictions Manager support. So what is an imperative for one user will be impractical for another.

The decision NG Software should be making is not what operating system version a user has to use, but how extensive testing NG Software do for each operating system version. In the knowledge that the broader range supported, the broader the customer base. In addition the later operating systems are harder to support as they change more often, invalidating NG Software past testing.