EQMS Software: Outdated Systems Vs Modern Interfaces

When did software become part of your quality system? It’s a question more organisations should be asking. Software is no longer simply something running quietly in the background. It can control processes, manage critical data, support decision-making, connect suppliers and customers, and in many industries, form part of the product itself. That means software increasingly has to be treated as part of the wider risk and compliance picture. And regulation is catching up. The UK Government’s Software Security Code of Practice sets out 14 principles covering areas including secure development, third-party components, software testing, change control, vulnerability management and secure maintenance. Importantly, it also focuses on something quality teams already understand: Evidence. It’s not enough to say that a process exists. Organisations need to be able to demonstrate how risks are identified, how changes are controlled, how vulnerabilities are managed and what action has been taken when something goes wrong. And this is becoming even more important across Europe. Since 11 September 2026, the EU Cyber Resilience Act has introduced reporting obligations for manufacturers of products with digital elements when actively exploited vulnerabilities or severe security incidents affect their products. In certain circumstances, manufacturers have just 24 hours to submit an initial warning, followed by a full notification within 72 hours. So the conversation around software is changing. It isn't simply: “Does the software work?” It’s becoming: • What risks does it introduce? • Who owns those risks? • How are changes controlled? • How are vulnerabilities identified and managed? • What happens when something goes wrong? • And perhaps most importantly - can you prove what happened? That’s where quality management and software management increasingly meet. Because your software might not sit outside your QMS anymore. It may be part of it. #QualityManagement #Compliance #QMS #EQMS #SoftwareCompliance #CyberResilience #RiskManagement #Manufacturing #Quality #DigitalTransformation