Windows 7 End of Support

A significant deadline is on the horizon for companies still operating on Windows 7 and Office 2010. After 10 years, product support for Windows 7 will discontinue with investment focus shifting to supporting newer technologies. The specific end of support day for Windows 7 will be January 14, 2020. After this date, technical assistance and software updates from Windows Update that help protect your PC will no longer be available for the product. In this piece, we will examine what this means for your company and how you can remain secure and productive following this deadline. However, before we look at the how, we need to first understand the importance of upgrading your servers.

Security and Compliance

With new threats making it harder than ever to secure data and applications, security is the top priority for IT teams. Recent cyber-attack statistics demonstrate how security updates are mission critical in today’s world:

  • 2bn records were stolen by hackers in 2016.
  • 22% of organisations lose customers during an attack.
  • 30% of organisations lose revenue during an attack.

Failing to upgrade will leave affected companies with no access to critical security updates, exposing vulnerabilities and opening the potential for business interruptions and loss of data. These uninterrupted, critical security updates must be part of your strategy for GDPR and other relevant compliance standards. To stay compliant and avoid steep fines, organizations will need a strategy that includes data protection.

What does end of support mean for me?

End of Support means that your Windows 7 or Office 2010 software will no longer receive updates including security updates. If you continue to use Windows 7 after support has ended, your PC will still work, but it will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. In addition, partners will no longer be able to provide Windows 7 technical support.

It is strongly recommended that you move to Windows 10 sometime before January 2020 to avoid a situation where you need service or support that is no longer available. Upgrading to a modern operating system such as Windows 10 can help provide the latest security updates to help keep you and your data safer.

Windows 10 is the most secure Windows ever and Office 365 delivers the latest in personal productivity. Together they make a perfect pair to help you do everything you were doing before – safer, faster and easier.

For most Windows 7 users, moving to a new device with Windows 10 will be the recommended path forward. Today’s PCs are faster, lightweight yet powerful, and more secure than that of the average PC eight years ago.

What happens if I continue to use Windows 7 after this date?

If you continue to use Windows 7 after support has ended, your PC will still work, but it will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Your PC will continue to start and run, but you will no longer received software updates, including security updates, from Microsoft.

Next Steps…

For more information on how you can upgrade and avail of the latest security updates, contact your account manager or a member of the ActionPoint team who will be able to bring you through the upgrade process.

Ready to get started?

Contact us today and we can begin discussing your needs. We can quickly provide you with a sense of our approach, estimated costs and a top-level timeframe.

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