According to a study by Percona, 97% of databases in the United States are managed by outdated software that has not been updated for a long time. This issue affects both private businesses and government organizations, creating significant security risks due to unpatched vulnerabilities.
Organizations cite high costs and technical complexity as the primary barriers to upgrading. Beyond software license fees, companies face substantial expenses related to testing, infrastructure modifications, and the labor-intensive nature of the migration process, which can introduce new operational risks.
Survey data reveals that 31% of respondents identify cloud service costs as the main obstacle to reducing database management expenses. Other challenges include licensing fees at 23% and the fragmentation of database tools at 17%. Additionally, 12% of participants expressed concern over vendor lock-in.
Performance issues are also driving the need for updates. 42% of companies report that older software versions are inefficient, 40% cite system downtime, and 35% note that legacy tools slow down database operations. The transition from MySQL 5.7 to MySQL 8 is highlighted as a complex example of these challenges.
