Software is a mystery to most people, understood only as a black box that produces an output. We regularly come across people who have had issues with software updates. The systems the company relies on have been updated by people outside the business.
We had one client who had an accounting system where updates often reintroduced bugs that had previously been fixed.
You cannot rely on the good practice of software companies in general, as sometimes they do not get it right. A few years ago, for instance, an update to Excel did not produce the right calculations in certain circumstances.
The suppliers often want to update the software. A huge number of updates go smoothly because the new software has been thoroughly tested and trialed and the supplier has good practice on configuration management.
However, this is not always the case even with national brands.
Some software, such as a design program, is critical to the operation of the company. Mistakes here could cause losses for the company.
It is important to take precautions. Ideally, you should be able to roll back to where you were before the update and discover any potential problem quickly. A complete backup is essential before the change. System restore points can be created in Windows for the windows changes.
It is good practice to then test the program by completing a selection of your types of transactions as soon as possible to see everything is as you expect it to be. For a critical system like design programs, it is best to trial something you have done before to ensure that you have compatible answers.