Although Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 7 back in 2015, the company will be ending extended support for the operating system in January of 2020.
If you have been on the fence about upgrading for a while, you will no longer have the luxury of doing so. End of life for an operating system is a very big deal. This means that there will no longer be any security updates, technical support for the product will be non-existent, and there will not be any software updates as well.
The most concerning item on the list is the lack of security updates. All software and operating systems are written with code. Sometimes the way the software is written opens up vulnerabilities that can be used to implement or spread malicious content. Many of the most successful ransomware attacks have been deployed through these vulnerabilities that could have been prevented with an up-to-date operating system.
Businesses these days have a lot of excuses about why they haven’t upgraded yet. Today we are going to challenge them all.
Your Software Isn’t Compatible
We know sometimes businesses can lag on software updates, especially on operating system updates. Often the problem lies with specialty software that companies are using to run their business that hasn’t been updated in ages.
Companies are so reliant on a single piece of software that they will not run on the latest operating systems. Not only does this practice put your business at risk for a plethora of malicious programs and actors, but you may also be missing out on some great features of a product that is more frequently updated.
BRITECITY is ready to help you find a better solution for your line of business applications and keep your company protected.
Steep Learning Curve
Another reason we hear from businesses who are behind on their updates is that they are worried about having to learn a new operating system.
From Windows 7 to Windows 8, there was a significant design change that a lot of people found quite difficult to use. Windows 10, fortunately, has corrected a lot of the complaints people had with Windows 8. Windows 10 works more like what you are used to. I always say Microsoft gets it right every other version.
If the reason your company’s data is breached is that your employees were unwilling to learn something new, it would seem pretty trivial at that point. Windows 10 isn’t nearly as scary as it seems in comparison.
It’s Expensive
Often the main reason businesses aren’t upgrading to the latest operating system is that it can also require them to update their hardware, which can cost a significant amount of money.
If you need to replace all of the machines in your office, it can be quite expensive. However, if you are still running Windows 7 on those devices, the hardware itself is likely extremely old as well.
Windows 8 was released in 2012, so any hardware that still uses Windows 7 was probably released prior to that date. While the hardware may still be running fine, those days are definitely numbered. It is better to replace the machines now before they unexpectedly crash when you can control the upgrade.
While there are plenty of reasons to keep using your Windows 7 devices, those reasons cannot cancel out the security risk of not upgrading. Contact BRITECITY to get your upgrade scheduled as soon as possible so you don’t miss the deadline at the end of the year.
BRITECITY offers local businesses support in areas like Cyber Security, Cloud Services, Strategic IT, and Managed IT Services in Orange County.