Microsoft Support for Windows 7 is Ending Next Month – Make Sure Your Business is Protected.

Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or support for PCs running Windows 7 after 14^th January 2020 (See Microsoft’s announcement here.)

This means that your Windows 7 computer will become more exposed to security risks. In a supported operating system, when vulnerabilities are identified the system maker creates ‘security patches’ that fix them. As of January 2020 these will no longer be fixed, leaving cybercriminals free to exploit them.

In order to keep your business secure, you will need to update your Windows PCs to Windows 10 before January. We recommend that businesses start planning this now in order to avoid panic and an unexpected bill in December.

What Actions Should I Take?  

• Devices under 3 years old – make sure you check them, but newer devices are likely to be running Windows 10 already. This would mean that no action is required.
• Devices between 3 and 5 years old – if your device is running Windows 7, we recommend upgrading to Windows 10.
• Devices over 5 years old – these devices will most likely need replacing within the next year or two. We therefore recommend that if your device is running Window 7 it is worth buying a new one, as it should come with Windows 10 as standard. This will be cheaper in the long run than upgrading your device and then finding out that you need to replace it shortly afterwards.

What is the Best Way to Upgrade to Windows 10?

For devices where you have decided to upgrade to Windows 10, you have two main options.

The first option is to buy the Windows 10 upgrade. The second option is to purchase an Office 365 subscription, which comes with a Windows 10 upgrade included.

Office 365 comes with many intrinsic benefits which you can take a look at in this article. You can also install one Office 365 account on up to 5 devices – so this is a particularly good option if your team uses multiple devices (e.g. a desktop and a laptop) as you do not need to make a separate purchase for each device.

Plan Now

Keeping client data secure is critical for businesses of all sizes and in all industries – especially with GDPR legislation now in place.

In order to protect your business, you need to start planning your transition to Windows 10 now. This includes an initial audit of your devices to understand how many will be affected and what are your best options for getting them up to date.

If you are an eXpd8 Managed Support customer, then we will provide a free audit of all supported devices and give you our recommendations. Please just get in touch with your Account Manager directly or contact us via the website.

If you are not currently a client but would like our assistance in reviewing and upgrading your devices, please contact us today.