FAQ: How does COPA-DATA ensure the Product compatibility with Microsoft Operating System Patches? How can I get information about compatibility issues?

FAQ: How does COPA-DATA ensure the Product compatibility with Microsoft Operating System Patches? How can I get information about compatibility issues?

Info
As a general rule, COPA-DATA recommends keeping the operating system current and installing the latest security updates.
Check updates on your own system(s) before installation for possible interactions with the zenon Software Platform.

The current version of the zenon Software Platform always supports the operating systems available at the time of release and allows conversion of older zenon projects to the current version. 

The COPA-DATA Security Management Team regularly publishes the results of the Windows Update compatibility tests for the current release of the zenon Software Platform and most recent Windows Security Updates in the FAQ “Are products in the zenon product platform compatible with the latest Microsoft Updates?” Based on these results, a decision is made on whether further tests are necessary to ensure compatibility with supported zenon versions.
More information on the support status of zenon Software Platform versions can be found at Product Life Cycle & Support | COPA-DATA.
A list of Microsoft operating systems supported by the zenon Software Platform is available in the zenon Online Help for each version, under the section “Windows Operating Systems.”

All COPA-DATA systems are kept up to date automatically and via centralized mechanisms (WSUS). Should compatibility problems arise in these largely automated tests, our SMT (Security Management Team) will actively inform you via a dedicated security newsletter (push service) and start internal processes and workflows.
As a COPA-DATA customer or partner, you are welcome to register for this newsletter via our website.

General recommendations:

  1. Check in good time what it means for your company’s systems if an operating system is discontinued and consequently no longer receives security updates from the manufacturer.
  2. Plan updates carefully and verify them in a test environment.
  3. Isolate systems that cannot be updated and implement measures to increase the security of those systems.
Additionally, it is considered best practice for system integrators or asset owners to perform their own quality-assurance measures. This particularly includes validating the zenon versions used within the respective application, infrastructure, and system landscape to adequately consider project-specific particularities and integrations, and to implement additional measures to mitigate risks according to system criticality and security requirements.
Warning
A comprehensive risk assessment for the specific use case remains the responsibility of the Asset Owner or Operator, as only they are in a position to fully evaluate the relevant system configurations, integrations, and operating conditions of the applications in use.