Microsoft Windows XP officially "retires" on April 8th, 2014Windows XP has had a great run and certainly was a welcome upgrade from Windows 2000 / Windows ME. The XP operating system has served the world for over 12 years after being released in October of 2001. As of September 2013 approximately 30% of personal computers worldwide were running XP. Despite the years of productivity, the business environment has changed and Microsoft is officially ending support for Windows XP operating system on April 8, 2014. Support for Office 2003 also ends on this date.What does end of support mean to business?Security Risks: Security patches will not be available after the End of Life (EOL) date. Security updates fix vulnerabilities within the software protecting against malware and help keep users and their data safe. Using Windows XP past the support date will create a high level of risk. Lost Support: Microsoft will no longer provide technical support. Most software vendors and hardware vendors will also not support their products that run on XP. Increased Costs: There will be a higher total cost of ownership maintaining these older systems Compliance Issues: Compliance requirements and associated challenges will jeopardize businesses governed by regulatory obligations like HIPAA. Decreased Productivity: Modern operating systems like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 provide enhanced speed and work on a broad spectrum of mobile devices. The opportunity cost is high for businesses holding on to older XP systems.The date is approaching quickly ... what are the options?Some machines, depending upon the hardware, will certainly run Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 but often requires extra labor to upgrade. Most computers running Windows XP have reached their lifecycle and should be replaced with a new system running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. We recommend replacing desktops and laptops within a 4 or 5 year timeframe.Companies running on legacy software requiring a business machine with XP do have an option for continued operations. Our Microsoft team can take a snapshot of the system and "virtually" run it on another machine running a modern operating system. This is a temporary bridge until a longer term vendor solution is implemented. Planning and preparation is a key success factor for the transition. Contact us today for a free consultation and business review (1.877.344.0050).
