NETiMAGE Network Solutions

December 2013

Windows XP Support Ends April 8th (and what it means for you)

On April 8th, 2014, Microsoft will no longer support its desktop operating system, Windows XP. End of support means that Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, non-security hotfixes, or technical assistance for Windows XP.

Why is this important for you?

Without support from Microsoft, you will no longer receive security updates that can help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software that can steal your personal information. Lack of security updates from Microsoft will leave your computer vulnerable.

You may also find that your application vendors can no longer support your application if it’s running on an XP computer. When Microsoft ends its support, other IT support channels will be affected as well. Including us.

What steps should you consider taking?

There is concern among the IT community that vulnerabilities will get much worse on April 9th as a result of hackers taking advantage of the lack of support. Your goal should be to eliminate your XP computers and there are two ways to do that. Realistically, more like one.

Option #1. You can upgrade your Windows XP computer to Windows 7/8. An upgrade would require your desktop to be at least 3 or 4 years old in order to find current drivers for it. It would also require the purchase of a new Windows OS license and the time and effort to perform the upgrade itself. Depending on the age of the computer, it’s usually not cost effective to spend money upgrading the operating system as the cost of the labor to upgrade usually outweighs the value of the computer.

Option #2. You can purchase a new computer that has Windows 7/8 preloaded. This will allow you to start off with a newer operating system, 8.1 if your applications will allow, and you’ll have a faster computer with more memory, a new hardware warranty, and a new keyboard and mouse. To help save on cost, the existing monitor can be reused.

Option #3. Ok, I know we said that there were only two options to solving the XP problem, but we wanted to include a third option for those of you who wanted to know what would happen if you chose to do nothing.

The good news is that your computer is not going to blow up or stop working on April 8th if it’s running XP. What is more likely to happen is because your computer is no longer receiving security updates, it will lose some of its defense against destructive bugs that can wipe out your data or attempt to hack into other areas of your network. These scenarios are very possible if you unknowingly visit infected websites, click on malicious email links, or download “fake” files by responding to bogus alerts. Again, security experts anticipate that hackers will take great advantage of the lack of security on Windows XP computers.

We have 4 months before XP support is eliminated. If you’re not sure how to properly prepare for the elimination of XP support, please don’t hesitate to contact your account manager or the support team for help.