An important update on the Windows XP Support end date.

As you may have heard, the Microsoft Windows XP support end date is looming.  Office 2003 and Windows XP support is set to terminate on April 8, 2014.

If your organisation has not started the migration to modern desktops, it’s important to act as soon as possible, particularly if you have legacy Line of Business applications.

What are the risks of not upgrading before Windows XP support ends?

After April 8, 2014, there will be no new security updates or hot fixes, no support of any description from Microsoft for XP or Office 2003.

This means that running Windows XP and Office 2003 in your environment after the end of support date will expose your company to potential risks.  Windows XP machines will become soft targets for exploitation and simply maintaining up to date anti-virus on Windows XP PCs will not be sufficient protection.

Please note that as we are now drawing very close to the official Windows XP support end date, requests for services on XP machines will need to be carefully considered.   It is worth seriously considering if spending money on an end-of-life PC is viable, or if the machine should be upgraded.

The good news is that making an investment in modern PCs running Windows 7 or later will have a very positive affect on your staff productivity.  There are also options other than simply buying a new PC, such as considering whether lower cost Thin Clients are a better desktop replacement.

With only a few weeks to go until Christmas, we understand that now is most likely a frantic time and this issue probably isn’t top of mind.  We would however encourage you to have a think about this over the next few weeks, perhaps we can schedule some time in the New Year to help you put an action plan together?

Feel free to contact us to discuss further.