News

Are you ready? Support for Windows XP, Server 2003 and Office 2003

Mon, 04 November 2013

From 8th April 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide support for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and all editions of Office 2003. This means that there will be no more security updates, patches, hardware or software support for those operating systems.

Recent statistics have shown that over 33% of Windows desktops are still running a version of Windows XP (reference: ZDnet). Most have not planned a migration to a newer version of Windows, exposing themselves to a number of risks after 8th April 2014. Don’t be one of them – plan today.

I’m running Windows XP / Server 2003 / Office 2003. What does this mean for me?

After 8th April 2014, you will no longer receive updates or support for your operating system. Microsoft will not provide any break fix support for your operating system, meaning if your operating system breaks, you run a big risk of not being able to recover.

You may notice that on a regular basis, Microsoft issue security fixes and patches to keep your system healthy and secure against malicious usage, or ‘hackers’ – after 8th April 2014, Windows XP / Server 2003 / Office 2003 users will no longer receive these updates. This means any security holes and bugs that are usually fixed will not be fixed. Ultimately, this puts you at great risk.

Why are Microsoft doing this?

Windows XP is now 12 years old, and as we all know, technology has evolved in many ways in that time. Think of it this way – in 2004, Windows 95 was 9 years old. Only 0.1% of computers were running Windows 95 at that time (Source W3Schools). While this figure may be more, Windows 95 had gone by 2005.

While this reflects that Windows XP was, and still is a hugely popular Operating System, the technology that it is built in is very out of date. This technology is effectively obsolete, and while Microsoft understood that users enjoyed the XP experience and kept support running for longer than they usually did for an operating system, it gave users plenty of time and opportunity to upgrade to technology that isn’t obsolete. And now this time is running out.

I want to upgrade…

The latest operating systems are as following – Windows 8.1 for the desktop, Windows 2012 R2 for the server, Office 2013 for your office suite. Various upgrade paths and licensing models exist, but you will no doubt be looking for the most effective in both.

We want to help you accomplish this. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.

I don’t want to upgrade

While support is still being offered for the time being, there will come a time when that life line will be cut by Microsoft, namely 8th April 2014. After this time, you run a serious risk of system failure and leave yourself open to security risks.

At the very least, if you haven’t planned an upgrade from XP / 2003 yet, we strongly recommend you take this first step towards upgrading sooner rather than later.

Contact C Data Now! 01489 589924

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