The Hidden Dangers of Technical Debt

Show Notes

Duration: 25:16

Hosts: Mauven MacLeod & Noel Bradford

Technical debt isn't just old computers - it's a ticking time bomb in every UK business. When Noel discovers his local Oxford Council data was sitting in legacy systems for 21 years, things get personal. From NHS cyber deaths to £1.4 billion breaches, this episode reveals why "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" could destroy your business.

Warning: Contains one epic Noel rant and brutal truths about preventable disasters.

Shocking Statistics Revealed

• ​160,000 Microsoft Exchange servers still vulnerable 4 months after patch
• ​59% of UK public sector apps contain year-old security vulnerabilities
• ​Nearly half of £4.7 billion government IT spending just maintains aging systems
• ​Some organizations spend 75% of IT budget on legacy system life support

Episode Highlights

"Technical debt isn't just an IT problem - it's a business survival issue"

"We're talking about digital decisions made when people were still using typewriters, and they're still causing security problems today"

"Every shortcut has consequences. Every deferred update accumulates interest"

Next Episode Preview

We hear from Former White House CIO Theresa Payton about lessons from US government digital transformation that UK small businesses can actually use.

Take Action Now:

1. ​Audit your systems - What are you actually running?
2. ​Budget 20% of IT spending for technical debt reduction
3. ​Plan Windows 10 migration - Support ends October 2025
4. ​Document everything - Future you will thank present you

Share Your Stories

Tell us about your technical debt discoveries in the comments (minus the hacker-helpful details). Have you found systems you didn't know existed?

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Next: Episode 8 - White House CIO Insights (July 21-27)