Prepare Your Business for the End of Windows 7 Support
With the announcement that Microsoft’s Windows 7 support will be ending on 14th January 2020, now is the best time for businesses to upgrade their Windows operating systems to avoid risking security, system failure and cost-related issues.
Don’t let your business be at risk, contact the IT experts at alphatech and we will help you create an IT strategy to prepare you for Windows 7 end of life.
If you don’t know how to check your computers to see what version of Windows you have, please contact us and we will happily provide you with a copy of our ‘How to Guide’.
Windows 7 Support Ends within Less than a Year – Here’s why you should care
With the announcement of Windows 7 support ending on 14th January 2020, it’s the best time for Windows business users to consider upgrading their Windows operating system to avoid risking security and performance, as well as preventing cost implications.
What does the end of Windows 7 Support actually mean?
When support stops for Windows 7, you will no longer receive security and technical updates and patch fixes, leaving you vulnerable to malicious activity, compromising your computer’s security. This means that whilst you can continue to use Windows 7 after this date, your PC is likely to become more vulnerable to online threats such as malware. Using anti-virus software can help, but only to a certain degree. Some protections can only be provided via an official software update.
You will also no longer receive support from Microsoft should your computer have a fault or suffer a system failure.
What are the biggest concerns for my business?
The good news is on Tuesday 14th January 2020 your computers should still switch on and physically work!
The not so good news unfortunately is that by switching the computer on you are facing some serious implications for your security, operational and disaster planning functions. The key concerns are:
- Protection – Your system will no longer receive security patches and bug fixes. You will no longer be protected against new malware and cyber-attacks, leaving your organisation and data vulnerable. Working on an unprotected system means you will also be in breach of Data Protection legislation.
- System Failure and faults – Microsoft will no longer provide help should your system create a fault or have a critical failure. This could mean losing everything on that device, resulting in loss of operational time and potentially not being able to run your business.
- Software issues – You run the risk of third-party software update releases no longer being compatible with your Windows 7 compute or server. Software companies will inevitably stop future program versions from working on an unsupported platform.
- Indirect costs – Your Windows 7 software is most likely being run on an older device. The average user of a poorly performing PC loses 14 minutes of productivity a day – that’s 6 working days a year. The longer the system remains unsupported the greater performance loss is likely to occur losing your business precious time and energy.
My business uses Windows 7 – What do we need to do?
You have a couple of options to consider when you are deciding the best way forward. You can:
- Upgrade to Windows 10 – We know this is the obvious answer but upgrading to Windows 10 will keep your computer security protected. Please be aware if you’re using an old computer, Windows 10 is unlikely to provide a good user experience as your PC won’t be new enough to handle the latest features.
- Buy a new computer – If you’re currently running on Windows 7 and are thinking its time to update your computer, any new Windows PC you buy in 2019 will have Windows 10 pre-installed.
What’s the best choice for my business?
As your IT provider we have a good working knowledge of your IT systems. We are passionate about working with you and supplying the right options and recommended solutions to meet your business needs going forward. Please don’t hesitate to contact the office on 01642 309767 – we are here to help.
We recommend completing your upgrade in a timely manner to ensure you are not caught up in the last-minute rush at the end of the year.