Five Techwe are
Oct 16, 2015

Say ‘Goodbye’ to Adobe Flash

With Adobe Flash being phased out we can all say ‘goodbye’ to the constant update reminders, our devices becoming bogged down, and the security issues that plagued it. Once the final nail is placed in Flash’s coffin, it may not all be sunshine and rainbows. There are still many websites dependant upon Flash and there are already some negative effects that website owners will need to be prepared for:

Decrease in Advertising Revenue – According to W3Schools.com, nearly 85% of people who accessed the internet in July accessed it from Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Google Chrome is now requiring a click to start Flash components, and Mozilla Firefox is blocking it by default. If your advertising platform currently runs on Flash, you could be taking a large blow to any revenue generated as users are not likely to go out of their way to view advertisements.

Negative User Experience – If users are not able to immediately access content or the site appears broken they are likely to go somewhere else to find what they’re looking for. If your site runs any flash components, such as video or animations, you could already be giving the same 85% of your users a poor experience. That number is is only bound to climb as more browsers jump on the ‘Anti-Flash’ bandwagon.

Vulnerabilities – With Adobe themselves trying to migrate companies away from Flash, it will soon go the way of Windows XP. Once it does, that could mean that any additional vulnerabilities found in the future will not be patched, leaving your site and customers wide open to cyber attacks.

Mobile Compatibility – Adobe announced in November of 2011 that they were no longer going to support Flash on mobile devices in favor of HTML5, so it’s nothing new that Flash isn’t compatible on smartphones and tablets, such as the iPad. With the percentage of users browsing the internet on mobile devices growing it is paramount that your site it mobile friendly.

Let’s face it, Flash has been on its way out the door for years. With Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox leading the recent the charge against it, we can count on its departure sooner rather than later. The real question is if you’re prepared. Soon maintaining any platform running flash will become very costful between security issues and potential loss of customers/clients/etc..

If you do not know if your site is running flash, or you would like to make sure you’re staying ahead of the curve, we can help you out! A responsive redesign of your site will ensure that your site will be safe, fast, and user friendly. For more info, contact us now.