Every software vendor has a support lifecycle for its products. They release a product and then provide updates and support for a period of time. At the end of the support lifecycle, customers need to upgrade to a newer version in order to continue receiving support from the vendor.
Microsoft’s standard software lifecycle is 10 years for most of their products. This includes 5 years of mainstream support and 5 years of extended support. In some cases, Microsoft will continue support for longer than 10 years in response to a particular situation. In the case of Windows XP, Microsoft released the product in 2001. Therefore, Windows XP support was scheduled to end in 2011. However, Microsoft decided to extend Windows XP support because of the low rate of adoption of Windows Vista. Microsoft wanted to give customers enough time to migrate to and adopt Windows 7 before ending support for Windows XP.
Microsoft is scheduled to end support for Windows XP on April, 8th 2014 which is two months from today. As the end of life date for Windows XP support is rapidly approaching, I thought it would be helpful to blog about some common questions that customers are asking in regards to this topic.
What are the risks if I decide to continue running Windows XP after April 8th, 2014?
There are 4 primary risks that Windows XP customers will face in the coming months:
1) Security Risk
Microsoft will no longer develop or release critical security updates for Windows XP after April 2014. Without these security updates, your PC will become vulnerable to harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software which can steal or damage your business data and information. Anti-virus software will also not be able to fully protect you once Windows XP itself is unsupported.
2) Software Compatibility Risk
Many software and hardware vendors will no longer support their products that are running on Windows XP as they are unable to get the Windows XP updates. For example, the new Office Profession 2013 will not run on Windows XP. Also, Internet Explorer version 9, 10, and 11 will not install on Windows XP. Finally, cloud services such as Office 365 and Windows Intune will no longer support Windows XP after the end of life date in April 2014.
3) Support Risk
When problems arise, online and phone-based technical support will unfortunately no longer be available from Microsoft, your OEM, or your Microsoft support partner to assist you. This means that you will be on your own to resolve any issues you experience with Windows XP. In the case of H Tech Solutions technical support, we align to the same support lifecycle as Microsoft. So when Microsoft discontinues support for Windows XP, H Tech Solutions will do the same. There are companies which will provide custom support for Windows XP, but the costs will become increasingly more expensive as time goes on.
4) Down Time Risk
The risks of system failure and business disruption could increase because of the end of support, lack of supported software, and the increasing age of hardware running Windows XP. Many customers who continue to run Windows XP will find that the vast majority of modern software being developed for PCs today no longer supports Windows XP. This means it will be difficult to keep current with technology trends. In addition, companies which manufacture PC hardware are no longer making parts for Windows XP. If your PC experiences a hardware failure, you may have to buy a second hand part on Ebay to find a viable replacement. This means increased costs and risk.
If you are still running Windows XP and would like assistance migrating to a new system before the end of life date in April, please contact H Tech Solutions using the URL below for a free consultation.
H Tech Solutions Blog by Harris Schneiderman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://htechsolutions.biz/contact-us