Don’t be stubborn, you have to update your operating system.
You need to get off of Windows 7, not because it will immediately stop working, but because they are going to stop updating those operating systems. Microsoft stopped adding new features to Windows 7 when Windows 8 came out in 2012, so up until this point they have just been fixing security flaws that they have found or have been told about, and keeping it compatible with other existing systems. But this is all ending on January 14, 2020. So, continued Windows 7 use will result in you not be being able to get any fixes for security flaws or compatibility issues with modern systems. Microsoft will no longer patch bugs that are found either by themselves or third parties.
What you will actually notice as an end-user is compatibility issues – you’ll buy a new piece of software and it won’t work. What you won’t notice until it’s too late is that the security updates are no longer happening. You need to worry about any new vulnerabilities that are found – and every month there is a new bundle found. And it’s not only bugs for Windows 7 that you have to be worried about. Some bugs that are found in Windows 8 or 10 may also be found in Windows 7. They will be fixed in Windows 8 or 10 with patches and updates, but will no longer be patched and updated for Windows 7.
This is just making a hacker’s job way too easy.
All hackers will need to do is look at what they fix in Windows 8 and 10 for the locations of weakness to exploit in Windows 7. Now, these users are even more vulnerable because everybody knows where the security flaw is. Having a key under the mat is only okay as long as no one knows,
The world moves on and if you don’t move on too, you’re going to be left behind. And a lot of people are okay with that until they’re not. And then it’s a rush job to get updated and it’s not done well.
Let’s say a client has an entire office of Windows 7 and Server 2008 computers and they didn’t want to do anything until the last minute. They still don’t want to do it but they have to do it. Now they’re stuck with having to revamp their entire business within a few months. Not only is this risky in terms of downtime and lack of testing, but having to do this is going to be hundreds of thousands of dollars at once – versus spreading it over a couple of years. Best case scenario – you have a couple of options for Windows 7. It is going to be getting paid updates. $50/computer for the first year. $100/computer for the second year. $150/computer for the third year. The point is to force you to get a new operating system. And then no more. Get Windows 10.
Updating is not all positive but it is necessary.
No IT guy will ever tell you updating is good. It is necessary but not always good. It causes all kinds of issue between vendors that update at different rates. Some shops only became Windows 10 compatible this year. Not many have tested it, especially with the different versions of Windows 10, as the regular feature updates come out every six months. Updates can break computers if something goes wrong during it like a power outage. Updates can take between 30 seconds and 2 hours. It does impact productivity. Keeping it up to date is required for security, but there are a lot of complications. It is absolutely needed. You can’t be the “I just don’t do updates” guy anymore. If that still works for you, you’re lucky.
You need to have a team who can help you transition into Windows 10 before the end of January 2020. Don’t let your business be at risk, let us help you make a plan to figure out the best way for you to handle the switch.
Does your business need help with this transition?
A conversation is a great place to start. Contact us to set up a call.
