31 Dec Windows 7 End of Life
On January 14th 2020 Microsoft will end extended support for the Windows 7 Operating System. This is known in tech terms as end-of-life for the software. So, what does this mean and how do you prepare for Windows 7 End of Life?.
What does “End of Extended Support” mean?
Firstly, end of extended support doesn’t mean that Windows 7 will stop working, but critically, end of support does mean that Microsoft stop developing the product, and this means no more security updates. After the 14th January 2020 all technical assistance and automatic updates that help protect your PC will no longer be made available for the product. Sticking with Windows 7 means you are extremely vulnerable to exploits and bugs. His is not a recommended position for your company to be in.
Microsoft “strongly recommends that you move to Windows 10 sometime before January 2020 to avoid a situation where you need service or support that is no longer available.
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How Can you Prepare for Windows 7 End of Life
According to NetMarketShare’s January 2018 data, 42% of Microsoft’s customers who purchased Windows 7 are still using it. Meanwhile, only 34% of the people who used Windows 7 have upgraded to the most recent operating system, Windows 10.
The first step when preparing for Windows 7 End of Life is to identify the machines that are currently running this Operating System. If you are already a client of Urban Network, we can walk you through this process. Once you have this information, it’s time to think about upgrading or replacing.
With minimum specifications needed to run a Windows 10 Operating System, there is some speculation that as Windows 10 evolves that these specs may no longer be enough. We recommend that desktop PC’s are replaced every 4 years, with the cost of the upgraded Windows 10 license and professional services associated with the upgrade process, it may be more prudent to take the opportunity to perform a refresh of this older desktops. Having your employees using newer, faster computers will certainly improve productivity and overall happiness within their job roles which will all contribute to the bottom line.
How We Can Help
The most important step is to recognise that you need to start planning, whilst January 2020 may still seem some time away, if you have many PC’s running Windows 7, you will need to have a deployment plan in place.
Urban Network can help you to identify what PC’s are running Windows 7 and investigate the most prudent options for you to upgrade with Windows 10 Operating System.