Just like that, Flash is gone

Adobe has been talking about the end of Flash support for a few years now. The once-dominant solution for interactive games and web videos was replaced by standards that delivered a complete and consistent ‘out of box’ experience across browsers and platforms. In addition, Flash had been associated with some security issues, as is the case with other third-party web components, so the demise makes sense across the board.  

As is the case with many web technologies, enterprise organizations have built solutions on top of these once bedrock platforms, and it will take time (and money) to replace them. Having a pandemic in the final year of Flash support certainly didn’t help any plans to deprecate solutions. Still, for many companies, it was never going to be a 2020 priority anyhow, and they had planned to continue running legacy Flash applications…somehow.  

Now that January 12, 2021, has come and gone, it’s as if Flash was never a thing in the first place. Unlike other companies and deprecated platforms, Adobe took a few steps beyond the standard ‘end of life’ process tech companies use. On Dec 31, 2020, they conventionally ended support and ended all updates for any versions. On Jan 12, 2021, Adobe actively took steps that prevent Flash from being run on a user’s system. 

It’s highly unusual for a vendor to actively terminate their tools or applications from running in the marketplace, but Adobe is entirely within their rights to do so. They addressed the need to obtain ongoing support for Flash and Flash-based applications by partnering with another company. With the additional annual expense and unclear runway offered by that partnered solution, many organizations end up looking at alternatives. 

One choice would be to bite the bullet and replace the Flash-based apps. Our experience is that option isn’t practical at this point since the business needs to keep operating. And for many companies, the ROI doesn’t add up in investing the time, money, and business complexity of re-writing, replacing, and rebuilding their line of business application stack. At the end of the day, they’re left with the same functionality and a hefty bill. 

We’ve seen this problem before. We can assure you we will see it again. It’s inevitable in technology and especially so with the web. Technology platforms get replaced by better, faster, cheaper, more robust, etc., all the time. It’s perhaps a corollary to Moore’s Law; application technologies and platforms will adapt at a given rate as the systems they operate on adjust and evolve. 

So, what can we do? Playing whack-a-mole with application vendor and platform deprecation isn’t viable. You’ll spend more of the time spinning cycles rather than innovating. And none of it will be on the timeline/budget dictated by your organization or priorities. 

Browsium offers customers the ability to address these problems. We can manage the Flash end of life issue today, but more importantly, we deliver you a platform that has helped companies address these issues since our founding in 2010.  

Many technologies have gone the way of Flash, riding off into the digital sunset. In contrast, Browsium customers have enjoyed the ability to continue running legacy applications where and when needed, doing so securely. At the same time, they plan and execute their strategy to adopt the latest technologies. And they know Browsium will be there to help them when that technology treadmill comes around to make today’s modern into tomorrow’s legacy.  

Let us help your organization address the challenges of managing web-based applications in the modern browser-centric Enterprise environment. Our suite of tools are designed to help deliver solutions from ongoing operational insights and telemetry to applications management and systems operations solutions. Take full control of the browser-based workspace and ensure that your organization can address the immediate needs around Adobe Flash end of life and the future challenges around the next technology that heads off to a digital retirement. 

Learn more about a simple Flash solution. https://www.browsium.com/flash-end-of-life/