When is the right time to carry out an upgrade?
Upgrading SS&C Blue Prism Enterprise is a significant undertaking. Doing it too early may disrupt operations unnecessarily; doing it too late exposes you and your stakeholders to critical risk.
Use this decision matrix to determine if you are facing a "Burning Platform" scenario or if you have time to plan a strategic migration.
Section 1: Critical Checks
In this section, we analyse whether carrying out an upgrade it critical to the continued success of your automation program.
Q1: Is your current Blue Prism Enteprise version older than 6.10?
Yes: Upgrade Now
No: Proceed to Q2
The Logic: Version 6 is End of Life (EoL). This means there are no new security patches, no bug fixes, and no standard engineering support. If a security vulnerability (CVE) is discovered tomorrow, your organization will remain exposed. Most IT Security teams will require you to shut down unsupported software immediately.
Q2: Do your browser automations use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser extensions?
Yes: Upgrade Now
No: Proceed to Q3
The Logic: Google and Microsoft are deprecating the technology that older Blue Prism extensions rely on (Manifest V2). This is an external "ticking clock"—you cannot stop browsers from updating. Once your browser auto-updates to the Manifest V3 standard, your V2 extensions will fail immediately, causing a hard stop to production. You must upgrade to v7.1.2+ to get V3 support.
Q3: Are you experiencing daily instability (e.g., Memory Leaks, Scheduler hangs) that impacts SLA?
Yes: Upgrade Now
No: Proceed to Section 2
The Logic: If your platform is unstable, you are likely losing money or productivity daily. Support teams generally cannot provide "hotfixes" for core architectural issues (like memory leaks) on older versions. The resolution is almost always "Upgrade to the latest version." Delaying the upgrade extends the duration of your daily pain.
Section 2: Strategic Checks
If you answered no to all of the critical checks, this section will help you find the right time to align your upgrade with other organizational needs.
Q4: Does your IT roadmap include a move to Windows 11, Windows Server 2022 or SQL Server 2019+?
Yes: Upgrade Soon
No: Proceed to Q5
The Logic: RPA does not exist in a vacuum. If your IT department updates the underlying Operating System or Database to a version that your current Blue Prism instance doesn't support, your environment will break. You need to schedule your upgrade before IT enforces their roadmap, or you risk an unplanned outage.
Q5: Can you benefit from using advanced features like the REST API, Authentication Server, or 64-bit architecture?
Yes: Upgrade Soon
No: Proceed to Q6
The Logic: You aren't facing a "break," but you are accumulating Opportunity Cost. By staying on an older version, you are limiting your ability to scale (64-bit memory limits) or integrate easily with modern apps (REST API). You should plan an upgrade soon to unlock this value, but you have time to plan it properly.
Q6: Are you entering a "Business Critical" period (e.g., Year End, Black Friday, Tax Season) where your production automations are critical to organizational success?
Yes: Upgrade Later
No: Upgrade Soon
The Logic: If you've made it this far without finding a business case to upgrade now or soon, you may want to consider scheduling your upgrade at a time when it doesn't impact "mission critical" business operations. If you are entering a period where downtime or a "change freeze" is unacceptable, wait until that critical period passes.
The Outcomes:
At some point in this decision matrix, you will have hit an outcome of Upgrade Now, Upgrade Soon or Upgrade Later.
Upgrade Now: You should make the business case for your upgrade now, with a timeline focused on immediate execution, as delaying presents operational risks to your organization.
Upgrade Soon: You should make the business case for your upgrade now, with a timeline focused on strategically aligning your upgrade window with other business priorities.
Upgrade Later: Include your upgrade window in your automation strategy and roadmap, aligning with stakeholders to minimise disruption during "mission critical" times for your organization.
