As technology and security continue to evolve, it’s natural that some equipment, systems, and technologies degrade and are left behind. This can also mean dealing with evolving risks and challenges of legacy security systems. In some cases, minor components can be updated, and in other cases, entire systems need to be overhauled.

Sometimes, the necessary changeover happens quickly. But, sometimes, you have to work with legacy systems while things continue to evolve and while you upgrade to newer systems. This may also mean having to evaluate the risks and challenges of legacy security systems to determine how and when to make a big upgrade. Here are some common potential risks and challenges of legacy security systems to consider:

1. Legacy security systems may not be compliant.
2. Legacy security systems may not be able to scale.
3. There may be discontinued support or lack of support.
4. Security updates may not be offered for legacy systems.
5. Costs to maintain and repair legacy security systems may become unsustainable.
6. Security risks and vulnerabilities increase with legacy security systems.
7. There may be integration issues or new integrations unavailable.
8. Legacy security systems often have compatibility challenges.
9. Understanding, expertise, and experience for legacy security systems diminish over time.

1. Legacy Security Systems May Not Be Compliant

Specific compliance requirements will vary by facility and industry. When it comes to legacy security systems that are becoming outdated, compliance issues are one of the risks and challenges. In healthcare settings, this is one of the mistakes that can lead to HIPAA violations and other issues, but it isn’t limited to just data and privacy concerns.

These are critical elements of hospital security assessments and should be addressed in a security audit for any type of facility. As compliance standards and requirements evolve, there may come a point when legacy security systems cannot keep up with new regulations. This is particularly true in regulated and controlled industries where compliance standards are stricter and carry heavier penalties in addition to larger risks for non-compliance.

It is imperative that your facility’s security systems are able to keep up and help you maintain compliance. If there are signals that a legacy system may cause compliance issues in the future, it’s a sign your security technology needs an upgrade, and it is imperative that you prioritize it to remain in compliance.

2. Legacy Security Systems May Not Be Able to Scale

Legacy security systems may not be able to scale efficiently to meet your needs. If they are operating on outdated software or hardware, they may not be capable of handling the volume of data or complex security needs your facility requires as your needs and operations change. This is a sign that it’s time to upgrade your access control system, and it is a principle that applies to all of your security systems and technology.

Scalability, integrations, efficiency, customizability, and more are all qualities of good security systems. If a legacy security system cannot scale and grow along with your needs, it is no longer providing the capabilities or security your facility needs.

3. There May Be Discontinued Support or Lack of Support

Managing and maintaining security systems is essential for ensuring continued comprehensive facility security. One of the potential challenges with legacy security systems that are no longer being offered is a lack of support or eventual discontinuation of support.

As components, technology, and systems degrade, it may not make sense for a manufacturer to continue producing certain parts or offering support for those systems. Not only does this mean that it becomes more difficult to continue to support these systems, but it can also mean that you will be less and less able to fix issues or get help for them.

One of the biggest benefits of service plans for your security systems is keeping them maintained and updated. However, even if you have a good relationship with a security systems integrator, there will only be so much they can do with a legacy security system as support for it degrades over time or is discontinued.

Your best bet in those situations is to choose the right security systems integrator for your needs and work with them to evaluate your security needs as well as the options available in order to modernize your security systems and bring them up to current standards.

4. Security Updates May Not Be Offered For Legacy Systems

Along with discontinued support and lack of support often comes a discontinuation of security updates. If a legacy security system is no longer being offered or a newer version has been released, it’s only a matter of time before security updates are no longer available for those legacy systems.

Outdated legacy security systems, especially those that are not current with security updates, are susceptible to attack and leave your facility vulnerable. This is one of the reasons why technology lifecycle planning is an important operational imperative facility managers need for better physical security, better security overall, and more efficient, secure operations.

5. Costs to Maintain and Repair Legacy Security Systems May Become Unsustainable

Maintenance and repairs can be other challenges in keeping legacy security systems. As legacy systems become more outdated, components and parts may become more difficult to find and may also become more expensive to acquire and install. A lack of maintenance, a lack of regular repair, and keeping systems that no longer serve your needs are common security mistakes with the potential for large, far-reaching consequences.

Depending on the system, the components, etc., there may come a time when repairing and maintaining a legacy system becomes so expensive that it is unsustainable. At some point, some critical components could even become completely unavailable, which puts your legacy security system on a path of inevitable failure.

The cost to repair and maintain a system, in addition to installation, is one of the things to consider when security budget planning. Cost, in addition to cost avoidance, is another factor that can help make the case for upgrading legacy security systems proactively.

6. Security Risks and Vulnerabilities Increase With Legacy Security Systems

One of the biggest risks of keeping legacy security systems is that security risks and vulnerabilities often increase, and continue to compound and increase the longer they are left unaddressed. The more outdated and unsupported a legacy security system becomes, the more security risks and vulnerabilities it creates by staying with it and not upgrading to current systems that are supported.

Security gaps leave your facility exposed, and this is one of the biggest reasons why you shouldn’t skip vulnerability assessments. Being proactive about your facility security allows you to catch potential issues with legacy security systems and address them before they create larger issues for you.

7. There May Be Integration Issues or New Integrations Unavailable

One of the biggest benefits of integrated security systems is that they provide a clear view of all aspects of your facility security for truly comprehensive security. Integrating different security products allows you to maximize capabilities and efficiencies across products and systems for a seamlessly integrated and effective security solution.

Comprehensive security requires the right mix of security products, systems, and integrations for your facility’s specific needs and operations. An outdated legacy security system may not be able to integrate or keep up with newer, more advanced systems.

Not only does this mean some integrations may be unavailable, which can limit capabilities, but also that even if integration can be done, there may be configuration problems that can cause operational inefficiencies as well as critical delays and errors.

8. Legacy Security Systems Often Have Compatibility Challenges

Legacy security systems also often have compatibility challenges. This issue only increases the more outdated and unsupported a legacy system becomes. In addition to a lack of support, outdated legacy security systems may just be incompatible with current systems and infrastructures.

In addition to the lack of availability of integrations or integration issues, this creates inefficiencies overall. At some point, legacy systems are often not able to be connected or integrated with modern systems, which leaves essential information and data delayed or inaccessible.

9. Understanding, Expertise, and Experience For Legacy Security Systems Diminish Over Time

As support for legacy security systems diminishes over time, so does the general understanding, expertise, and experience with those systems. In addition to technology and compatibility risks that can create challenges with data, this diminishing expertise can increase user errors and incur additional training costs.

Improving response times, reducing user errors, and reducing risks are some reasons why your team needs to be trained on your security systems. However, if training is difficult to find or unavailable or systems are inherently inefficient and difficult to use, there will be an increase in user errors as well as delays in response times when reacting to alerts or threats, even if the data you need to monitor is available.

Upgrade Your Security With NEPPS

These are a few potential risks and challenges of legacy security systems to consider as you evaluate your security products and systems. Maintaining and updating security systems as needed helps keep your facility protected and secure. If you need to update components or upgrade your facility security, contact NEPPS at 1-800-736-1456.