It was January 2019, when many organisations started to think about Windows 7 End of Life and planning to upgrade or even replace Windows 7 machines with Windows 10.  The thought of Windows 7 End of Life (EOL) occurring on 14^th January 2020 may have seemed daunting and a long time away.  But here we are, and Windows 7 EOL official date is fast approaching.

Why should you upgrade to Windows 10?

You may wonder why there is a need to update to Windows 10 if Windows 7 is still working on your machines. The fact is, there shall be no available Windows 7 updates to keep you safe from any potential vulnerabilities that may occur.  Your machine would be left unpatched and would be vulnerable to attack. You also will not receive any functionality updates which could lead to hardware inefficiencies. Businesses who do not upgrade will also be at risk of breaching GDPR.

What are the risks of not updating after Windows 7 End of Life

Microsoft have stated “After January 14, 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or support for PCs with Windows 7. Upgrade to Windows 10 now to keep your employees productive and secure”. Take a look at the 4 risks of not upgrading to Windows 10 below.

1. Data Loss

   An attacker could penetrate your system and obtain personal customer data, or data regarding your next 12 months strategic plan. Or it could be data loss in the sense all your files are encrypted, and you now have downtime whilst you restore all files.

2. System slowdowns

   Windows 7 is not designed to run on the latest hardware and with the rate the tech industry evolves, you will soon be faced with hardware slowdowns and crashes.

3. No more bug fixes

   Microsoft provides regular bug fixes as part of its extended support. If you do not update to Windows 10 you could face functionality issues which you will have to resolve on your own.

4. Software incompatibility

   The older your operating system gets, the more chance there is that new software or apps will not be compatible. As a result of this, these new apps or software simply will not run.

It goes without saying that the continuous use of Windows 7 after the EOL date is a potential risk to your IT Infrastructure. As a business you do not want to be taking security risks in the year 2020, especially with the continuous growth of cyber-attacks.

Windows 7 End of Life recommendations

1. Review the state of all Windows 7 machines on your network.
2. Determine which machines can be upgraded or need to be replaced.
3. Create a plan to upgrade or roll out new machines, this plan should also incorporate testing.
4. Where possible upgrade or replace all machines running Windows 7 before 14^th January 2020.

Let’s work together to ensure less Windows 7 machines are out in the wild after 14^th January 2020.

If you would like a free consultation to discuss your upgrade or replacement requirements, please contact Dufeu IT.

Call us today on 01933 426162