Upgrading distributed high-throughput databases like Aerospike can be risky due to potential latency issues, consistency problems, and cascading failures, yet refusing to upgrade may lead to outdated systems lacking security patches and performance improvements. Aerospike's architecture allows for rolling upgrades and zero-downtime cutovers, making upgrades more manageable when adequately prepared. Aerospike 8 introduces significant changes, including support for distributed ACID transactions and expression-based indexes, enhancing data consistency and reducing memory footprints. It supports rolling upgrades from version 6.4 and 7.x series, allowing mixed-version clusters temporarily to ensure a smooth transition. A successful upgrade requires careful planning, including verifying version compatibility, reviewing release notes, and testing configurations in a staging environment. The process also involves auditing existing deployments, simulating failure scenarios, and ensuring client-server compatibility to avoid unexpected issues. Aerospike 8's new features are designed to support real-time AI and financial systems without sacrificing performance, and the upgrade process is predictable and controlled, potentially offering a competitive edge by maintaining up-to-date, hardened deployments.