January 14, 2020, marked a tearful goodbye to one of the most popular computer operating systems in the world, Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system. According to some reports, the operating system was installed on nearly 50% of computers in 2016! Even statistics from as late as December 2019 show that one in four Windows users is still running Windows 7.
2020 marks the death knell for the old OS as Microsoft stops providing security updates to Windows 7.
Will Windows 7 stop working in 2020?
No, Windows 7 computers will not stop working after January 14, 2020. Microsoft will display pop-ups on all Windows 7 systems, warning users that all official support has ended. If a security flaw is found in the software, Microsoft will not release updates or patches to fix it. The company stopped providing feature updates to the OS a few years ago.
What are the risks of using Windows 7?
If you are still using Windows 7 for your business, you are opening your network and other devices to a cyber attack more and more every passing day. In simple terms, these are the real-world consequences you will face:
- Security vulnerabilities will become easier to identify and exploit
- Increasing threat of malware and spyware
- Incompatibility with new hardware and software
- Missed opportunities for modern collaboration and connectivity features
Contact an expert business IT solutions team to implement emergency measures to protect your data and prevent security breaches.
If your IT company’s desktop support helpdesk has already migrated your systems to the newest Windows 10 Professional OS, you have nothing to fear. If, however, you have been holding on to Windows 7 machines, you need to prepare yourself.
In this article, we are looking at a three-pronged strategy that will quickly and affordably prepare your computers for the new wave of technologies and cyber threats.
Ask your IT helpdesk desktop support team to upgrade your systems
With the prevalence of APIs and cloud-hosted software, the headache of migrating software to different operating systems is a thing of the past. Tell your IT solutions service provider to upgrade your systems from Windows 7 immediately. The process is seamless, and you don’t have to worry about data loss because it resides on remote servers.
Microsoft’s latest OS, Windows 10, has been in the market for over three years and the most popular business software is compatible with it.
Evaluate systems for driver and hardware support
If your business relies on specialized software or custom hardware, make sure your desktop support services team has upgrades planned for you. A support contract will ensure that your software and hardware are compatible with Windows 10 or any other OS you are upgrading to.
Simply cannot do without Windows 7 for your business. Microsoft is providing security updates to its enterprise clients until 2023.
Cybersecurity training for your employees
Cybersecurity awareness is one of the biggest areas of concern for most businesses. Windows 7 continues to have a large user base, and it is possible that one or more of your employees may be using a device running Windows 7. Get your business’ IT solutions team to conduct employee training sessions about the risks of using deprecated software.
Complete IT solutions and management
At EMKAL, we provide complete business IT solutions and work with clients across Guelph and beyond. Our team provides a complete suite of IT and server management services. We work with manufacturing businesses, services providers and numerous other clients to keep their infrastructure up-to-date and secure.
Call us to receive a free assessment of your IT strategy and find out how we can help you reduce your IT overheads.