Obsolete programs are powering 97% of US database systems and the reason why won't surprise anyone

Date:
Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:15:29 +0000

Description:
Nearly all US database administrators say they're running at least some outdated software as the security risks rise.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Unsupported database management software is increasingly risky from a security point of view The biggest barriers preventing organizations from upgrading include cost and complexity Businesses aren't happy with current inefficiencies, downtime and latency An overwhelming majority (97%) of US database administrators are running
obsolete software, according to the latest State of Open Source Database Management Report by Percona .

But organizations aren't neglecting upgrades, because the report warns that upgrading a production database can actually be a major and risky project
that may even impose more operational risks than running unsupported
software. For many, the cost alone is a major obstacle, with substantial engineering time, testing, infrastructure changes and cloud changes all
adding to the total cost of change. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Why are so many US organizations using outdated database
software? Percona highlighted that upgrading a database isn't as simple as installing a software update, because in most cases, it would require an entire cross-stack migration involving other pieces of software and subscriptions.

Nearly one in three (31%) said cloud costs are their biggest barrier to reducing the total cost of ownership of their database estates, but licensing costs (23%), tool sprawl (17%) and vendor lock-in (12%) were also major worries. You may like The biggest data leaker is probably not who you think
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The report cites MySQL as a key example, highlighting how the major architectural changes involved with 8.0 made it a technical nightmare for 5.7 users to upgrade.

However, while the change itself can be a costly, and frankly massive, one, remaining on unsupported database management software creates its own
security risks. This is especially pronounced because databases can often contain an organization's most valuable and confidential information. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
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There is a motive to upgrade, though, because 42% of Percona's respondents cited inefficiency as a current drawback, with downtime (40%) and latency (35%) also slowing them down.

Looking ahead, the first stage is for companies to actually plan their migrations rather than continue to postpone them. It's only by starting the ball rolling that they can begin to explore how to consolidate stacks and improve overall efficiency and costs. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/obsolete-programs-are-powering-97-percent-of-us- database-systems-and-the-reason-why-wont-surprise-anyone


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