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Windows 7 and Office 2010 End of Life

You’ve probably heard that Microsoft is ending support for several popular business tools in January 2020, including Windows 7. As of May 2019, around 33% of users on the Internet were still using Windows 7.

Windows 7 isn’t the only product Microsoft is stopping support for. Are you relying on Office 2010 (Word, Outlook, Excel, etc)? Running Windows Server 2008/R2 or Small Business Server 2011? Or do you run your email through Exchange 2010? All of them are reaching end of life in 2020.

 

What does End of Life mean?

What does end of life mean for you and your business? Well when you buy a product from Microsoft, they provide mainstream support which includes:

 

  • Security patches
  • Design changes or new features
  • Complimentary support

Microsoft provides mainstream support for five years after they’ve launched a new product. After the five years, the product goes into extended support. This basically means they will only provide security patches until it becomes end of life.

You maybe thinking, well we don’t need new design changes or features and we’ve never had to rely on Microsoft for support, so what’s the big deal? Without ongoing security support and patches, your business runs the risk of a cyber attack.

 

What does a Cyber Attack look like?

Once hackers have gotten inside your systems, they may install malicious software to take over your business and system, and could potentially take control of your computers until you pay a ransom, or even steal important data without you knowing.

Take for instance, the WannaCry attack back in 2017. It infected more than 230,000 computers in 150 countries. The hackers demanded $300 ransom per computer.

And not only that, a cyber attack can also put your business at risk of:

 

  • Compliance fines – GDPR
  • Costly downtime
  • Losing business to competitors

 

What choices do you have?

Firstly, you could ignore the threat and hope it doesn’t affect you, however, we seriously do not recommend this. The second approach is to upgrade your systems to the latest versions such as Windows 10 and Office 2019.

Microsoft regularly updates Windows 10 with new features, including security updates. The increased operating speed and functionality will also increase productivity. Also upgrading to Office 365 also improve collaboration, along with productivity too. User’s can access email, their calendar, files in real time from any device.

Migrating your data to new systems, quickly, efficiently and most importantly securely, takes time and know how. Call us on 01543 889 444 and let us handle your upgrade.


Running Windows 7? You need to upgrade

For those of you who may not have heard, Microsoft Windows 7 and Office 2010, along with other Microsoft products, will soon come to EOL (End of Life) on January 14, 2020 and they will no longer be supported by Microsoft. But what does this actually mean for you?

 

Windows 7 end of support

No more updates
Microsoft will stop releasing updates for these products. While you may think ‘yes, no more sitting around installing all those updates’, it’s actually bad news. Your computer will be left at risk, more vulnerable, open to infection and cyber attacks. Remember the NHS attack in 2017? They were running out dated software.

New software and hardware may not work
As Microsoft ends support, so will other software vendors. Google no longer supports Google Chrome on anything older than Windows 7. Most antivirus vendors no longer support older operating systems as it’s becoming increasingly more complex to support these older systems. You will no longer be able to buy a new off the shelf printer or software and expect it to work automatically.

It is our recommendation that you seriously consider purchasing a replacement computer or upgrade to Windows 10, sooner rather than later! We can supply you a brand new computer and can also transfer your data (documents, pictures, email) and programs from your current computer to a replacement machine and set it up for you. If you want to go down the upgrade route, we can advise and upgrade your computer to Windows 10 for you.

Still running Windows 7 or Office 2010? Call us on 01543 889 444 and we can advise on the best possible upgrade or new machine for you.


Is your Business Ready for 2020?

For those of you who may not have heard, Microsoft Windows 7, Office 2010, Small Business Server 2011 and Exchange 2010 will soon come to EOL (End of Life) on January 14, 2020 and Windows 7, Office 2010, Small Business Server 2011 and Exchange 2010 support will also stop from Microsoft. But what does this actually mean for you as a business?

Windows 7 end of supportNo more updates
Microsoft will stop releasing updates for these products. While you may think ‘yes, no more sitting around installing all those updates’, it’s actually bad news. Your systems will be left at risk, more vulnerable, open to infection and cyber attacks. Remember the NHS attack in 2017? They were running out dated software. Could your business afford such downtime and possible financial loss?

New software and hardware may not work
As Microsoft ends support, so will other software vendors. Google no longer supports Google Chrome on anything older than Windows 7. Most antivirus vendors no longer support older operating systems as it’s becoming increasingly more complex to support these older systems. Also Sage have stopped supporting anything older than Windows 7, meaning you may not be compliant with HMRC rules and regulations. You will no longer be able to buy a new off the shelf printer or software and expect it to work automatically.

GDPR
You are probably sick of GDPR, but part of GDPR compliance is reducing risks by keeping software up to date. If your company suffered a data breach and it was down to out of date software, you could face fines of up to €20 million, or 4% annual global turnover – whichever is higher due to none compliance.

It is our recommendation that you seriously consider purchasing replacement machines, sooner rather than later! We can supply you brand new computers and can also transfer your data (documents, pictures, email) and programs from your current computer to a replacement machine and set it up for you.

Is your business ready for 2020? Call us on 01543 889 444 or fill in the form below to find out how we can help your business prepare.

    Note: We do not share your data with any third parties