By Sarah Morgan
On 8th April, Microsoft will discontinue the support of the Windows XP Operating System and Office 2003. This means that you will no longer receive any updates, including service packs and security updates. These are vital to prevent the security issues related to running unsupported software.
Windows XP was launched over 12 years ago and as of October 2013 it was still the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base. Because of XP’s vast popularity, it is essential that the message reaches every user and they understand the potential consequences of the continued use of the unsupported operating system.
Experts answer questions about XP risks
According to Gartner’s experts, Steve Kleynhans and Michael Silver, around 10-15% of XP-user businesses will fail to migrate to a different operating system before the support ends on 8th April. This could result in serious consequences, because an unprotected operating system can be an easy target for attackers, who may steal company data or disrupt operations.
As outlined by Michael Silver, there are ways to mitigate the risks originating from a potential failure to migrate from XP, but they are not going to provide a long-term solution for businesses. Requesting custom support from Microsoft is one option to prolong the life of XP, however that is a costly solution. To learn more about how to reduce risks of using Microsoft XP after official support has ended, watch the following video:
About the Author:
Sarah writes for Firebrand Training on a number of IT related topics. This includes exams, training, certification trends, project management, certification, careers advice and the industry itself. Sarah has 11 years of experience in the IT industry.
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