Not to put too fine a point on it but, if you’re one of the millions still using Windows XP for your business, it’s definitely time to rethink your IT business plan.
Is that a Yugo you’re driving?
Though not quite as obsolete as the poorly designed and equally poorly executed import from Yugoslavia (that honor would have to go to Vista), which disappeared from the US marketplace in 1989, the XP operating system is now a mere seven months from becoming completely unsupported by Microsoft. Already having received support for a much longer period than any other OS we can remember, as of April 8, 2014, Windows XP will become the ultimate orphan, with its parent abandoning it, and you, to the vagaries of online attack, unsupported legacy software, and an increasingly iffy browsing experience with Internet Explorer.
While the end-of-life deadline for XP has been in the news for a couple of years now, well beyond the initial over-the-top decade of support from Microsoft, it seems that many users just can’t understand what the big deal is – or why the software giant has decided to end support for the well-loved OS in the first place. Actually, it’s pretty simple, when you consider that…
1. Microsoft has moved on to their third revamped operating system since the introduction of XP and,
2. The lack of ongoing support is going to make your OS incredibly vulnerable to attack by cyber hackers.
Ultimately, the question becomes, “Would you rather continue using the equivalent of 19th Century computer technology, or do you think it’s time to make the move to a 21st Century operating system, like the Windows 8 OS?” Heck, it makes even more sense to jump into the 20th Century first, by installing and running Windows 7 before you jump to Win8.
The folks at ZDNet.com have posted an entire series of articles on why you need to make the move away from XP before the deadline, not least of which is the possibility that your entire system could be shut down without warning; bringing your business to a halt. Does anyone really want to take that kind of risk?
For more detailed information about the upcoming end-of-life deadline for XP, as well as other systems such as Exchange 2003, follow the links to these articles:
· Your perilous future on Windows XP
· Windows XP Diehards: Can you survive the April 2014 deadline?
· How a Windows XP migration became a journey of discovery
· Microsoft warns Windows XP users risk ‘zero day forever’
· First Windows XP now Exchange 2003: What happens when the clock stops on support?
As we all know – or should by now – nothing good lasts forever and, while Windows XP was a great operating system in its day, that day has definitely passed; whether we wish it had or not.
If you need help choosing a new OS for your business, or with getting one installed and operating properly, get in touch with us today, because time is definitely running out on you – and your favorite TV show, Friends, the number one show when XP was originally introduced in 2001.