Posted: Friday, 17 July 2015 @ 14:44
The world of IT is fast paced and ever changing with new technologies being developed constantly that allow us to work much more efficiently and productively than we could have ever imagined 20 years ago, the problem with this culture in IT is that it can often be daunting for business owners and IT decision makers when it comes to choosing the best direction for the business. Despite the ever evolving world of IT many users are still using software that is over 10 years old.
Microsoft have boasted more than 80% market share for more than 10 years and one of the biggest reasons for this is the popular Operating System; Windows XP. Currently, 39% of computing devices that access the internet are running the operating system, which was originally released in 2001. Unfortunately, for this 39% the days of being able to safely browse the web and repair the PC should any issues occur are numbered- the time is coming to change.
“Windows XP works fine for me, it is familiar and I know what I’m doing, why should I change?” Microsoft have adopted a ‘support lifecycle policy’ which specifies how long Microsoft are willing to support the software. As a rule, each product will receive a minimum of 10 years support. This means that Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 are both due reach the end of their lifecycle for support in April 2014. After this date, there will be no technical help from Microsoft in the form of patches or updates – leaving your PC vulnerable.
“What does this mean for me and my business?” If you and your business are still using Windows XP after April 2014 there will be no more assisted support, updates or hotfixes – both paid for & free support will cease. As well as this, independent third party software vendors are likely to stop producing for Windows XP and will more than likely not offer support for users running it. Software vendor ‘Sage’ are just one of the companies who have announced via their website that they’re going to end support for any of their products that run on Windows XP by March 2014.
“What happens now? What are my options?”If your current system meets the criteria, it may be that a simple upgrade will allow you to continue using your PC, however if you do not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 7/8 this will not be possible. The only option in this case will be to purchase a new PC that is capable of running the newer versions of Windows.
IT Services are a registered Microsoft partner and have the skills and know how to assist you in migrating your Windows XP desktop machines and laptops to supported versions of Windows. It is time to leave the dark ages and move into a new era of computing technologies.