With the ever increasing risk of businesses getting hacked or falling victim to a ransomware attack, it is imperative that you keep your operating system up to date and optimised. Doing so ensures that you receive the latest updates and patches for your system, which provides you with more protection and stability. Microsoft has advised that as of 14th January 2020 there will no longer be any support for Windows 7. But what does this mean to you? How can Adept assist you in making a smooth transition that does not disrupt the day-to-day run of your business?
What’s the deal with Windows 7?
In essence, should you have an issue with Windows 7 following this date, Microsoft will not be in a position to assist. Furthermore, they will not be releasing any further updates for Windows 7. Support for Office 2010 and Windows Server 2008 /R2 will also be terminated during the course of next year, as detailed below.
Microsoft Product Retirement Schedule
| Product Name | End of Support Date |
| Windows 7 | 14 January 2020 |
| Office 2010 | 13 October 2020 |
| Windows Server 2008 /R2 | 14 January 2020 |
Being able to determine the impact of the decommissioning of these services on your business and the devices in your organization is crucial – you need to know how you may be affected by it so that you can plan and budget accordingly.
Our process for upgrading from Windows 7
At Adept, we’re always ready to help our clients prepare for tomorrow. That’s why we’re encouraging all users who may be affected to take advantage of our team’s expertise to assist you to make a smooth transition.
We begin by meeting with you and fleshing out a high-level summary of all your workstations and systems, making use of any software whose support ends soon. Following this, our Solutions Architects will develop a custom plan for your upgrades and accompanying tasks. This plan will take into consideration other software that you depend on, to ensure compatibility. What’s more, we’ll also check that your hardware will be up to the task.
Things you need to consider
If you’d like to perform your own assessment, it’s a good idea to keep the following in mind:
- You’ll need to know how many Windows 7 devices you have in your business that need to be replaced or upgraded before January 2020. If you are already our client, we have your back, so just pop your Account Manager an email and request a Windows 7 device Audit Report. If you’re not our client yet, we’d be more than happy to assist.
- This year is racing away and 14 January 2020 will come sooner than you think. You might wish to budget and spread the purchases or upgrades over time to reduce disruption or impact financially or you may have busier periods throughout the year where it would make sense to move to Windows 10 before or after the busy times to reduce business impact.
- Check your business applications like Sage, AccPac, Quickbooks etc. to make sure that they will be compatible with Windows 10, as this may be a reason that you have stayed with Windows 7 thus far. If this is the case, then you need to start the transition sooner rather than later, as there is a lot more involved than just PCs and laptops.
Update or replace
Modernising your systems is a key component in future-proofing your business. Keeping up to date with software is no exception. As always, newer software has greater hardware requirements. Both updates and replacements come with costs, so it’s important to base the decision on the right criteria:
- Is the current hardware compatible with the new products?
- Are any hardware upgrades required to ensure the performance of the machine is optimal with the new products?
- What is the intended lifespan of the machine that needs to be upgraded – is it approaching end-of-life too?
Contact us to find out how we can help your business with a smooth transition from Windows 7 to Windows 10 or for assistance with your IT infrastructure.