Living in a technology era that sees device upgrades and new
products on what seems like an almost weekly basis, it’s difficult to imagine
that Windows 7 has remained in play since its release in 2009.
According to Net
Market Share’s December 2018 data, 40.86 percent were still
using Windows 7 compared to a modest 36.37 percent engaged in Windows
10. Trailing the two leaders, Windows 8.1 saw a mere 5.07 percent and Windows
XP stood at 4.08 percent. That means Windows 7 ranked as the most
popular platform after a decade on the market.
However, the days of Windows 7 are numbered. Starting
on January 14, 2020, extended support for this industry favorite will cease.
The Windows 7 end of life (EOL) is not a surprise
for IT companies because Microsoft already cut off mainstream support four
years ago. The imminent Windows 7 EOL leaves small and mid-sized
companies weighing their options about best next steps. Fortunately, the IT
professionals at Sensible Systems are prepared to upgrade small and
mid-sized businesses using Windows 7 to a suitable option.
Are You Prepared To
Upgrade Before Windows 7 EOL?
While the EOL deadline may seem miles away when considering
urgent day-to-day business operations, conducting a critical systems analysis
and reviewing next steps options is something that decision-makers would be
wise to implement post haste.
Upgrading a company’s operating system is no small
undertaking. The process could take a top-flight IT support team upwards of six
months to develop a comprehensive strategy to test, implement and fully deploy
the new system. That timeline hinges on prior decisions being made and only
reasonably anticipated setbacks. Anyone who runs a business understands that
x-factors can cause unexpected and costly delays.
CEOs and decision-makers who fail to make the shift before
the Windows 7 EOL date risk losing security features currently
protecting systems and data. We live in a world where hackers are persistent in
their efforts to find vulnerable business systems that they can pluck like
low-hanging fruit.
It’s not difficult to recognize that hackers are fully aware
of potential vulnerabilities when the Windows 7 sunsets. They will be
up all night identifying and breaching systems with faulty security. Think of
the Windows EOL date like a massive power blackout and hackers are like looters
taking advantage of the crisis to break into your business and steal. The best
way to avoid disruption and cyber theft is to take proactive measures now.
Positives About
Upgrading From Windows 7
For all practical purposes, users are being forced to
migrate from Windows 7 to another product. The mainstream support
ended in January 2015 and extended support included some minor reductions in
support. While it’s true that you can still use Windows 7 and it will
function with Internet Explorer and other tools, after the 2020 EOL date,
security risks will likely escalate without ongoing support. While business
leaders often operate under the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix
it” theory, Microsoft reportedly recommending that Windows
7 users upgrade to Windows 10 is not necessarily a bad thing for small and
mid-sized companies. These are key reasons why change can prove beneficial.
- Improved
Consistency: In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for operating
systems to require major changes every three to five years. That type of
stress is expected to dissipate once users conclude their migration
from Windows 7 to Windows 10 or another appropriate option.
- Ongoing
Upgrades: Although Microsoft has offered differing degrees
of Windows 7 support for 10 years, organizations that migrate to
Windows 10 can anticipate a wealth of helpful upgrades. These upgrades
started in 2018 and their lifecycles will reportedly last upwards of 24
months in terms of deploying and validating the newest version. Upgrades
that were previously released about every six months. However,
organizations may want to task their IT support team with monitoring emerging
upgrades.
Your outfit will enjoy the most up to date functionality,
productivity, user interface, and outstanding security measures. Upgrades have
the potential to interact with important analytics, machine learning, and other
emerging technological advancements.
Sensible Systems’ team of IT professionals understands the
inherent benefits that migration to Windows 10 and other options can bring to
the table. Migrating to Windows 10 or a suitable option is not a nuisance; it’s
a business opportunity.
Windows 7 EOL
Presents An Opportunity To Develop A Uniform Process
Consider for a moment that your organization has developed
protocols and processes that help it maximize productivity and profitability.
Those might include anything from a manufacturing assembly line to information
sharing to HR policies. Just about everything a successful outfit does helps
improve its standing and bottom line. That being said, systems upgrades are no
different and the Windows 7 EOL has presented an opportunity to create uniform
policies and protocol.
By working with an IT support consultant, your organization
can lean on the experience of a team that upgrades and migrates business
systems on a regular basis. You also gain the benefit of working with team
members that have an expansive knowledge about goals within your industry and
others. That information can prove valuable when applied to your niche.
Conducting a full review and documenting real-time process
leaves your organization with a blueprint for future upgrades. Windows 7 is
effectively going the way of the dinosaur and its replacement will likely go
extinct as well. It’s important to seize this opportunity to reduce the
six-month or longer process the next time. These are other benefits your
organization can gain by creating a uniform upgrade process in 2019.
- Rethinking
Windows: It’s all too clear that Windows upgrades are already
being planned. Rather than wait and react every time an announcement is
made, you can rethink Windows as ongoing service and not just a product.
This means empowering your IT support team to maintain a focus on
rollouts, tool management and deployment in a highly streamlined fashion.
Having that blueprint means formerly onerous tasks occur seamlessly.
- IT
Support Agility: A major migration from Windows 7 is
likely to be a time-consuming task. Part of the reason is that your outfit
is starting from scratch and learning about unique aspects of your system,
goals and workforce needs. Creating a blueprint for future upgrades eliminates
that start from scratch mentality and allows IT support technicians the
flexibility to act decisively.
- Ongoing
Testing: Once your IT team has concluded its testing measures for
the Windows 7 EOL migration, it’s important to craft a
post-mortem account of challenges and solutions. This will help inform
team members about what to anticipate and improve their ability to adapt
and overcome.
One of the expected benefits of moving to Windows 10 is that
the product allows IT technicians to implement updates to a variety of devices
simultaneously. This is expected to improve efficiency by limiting the time
spent on tasks that are not directly related to your business’ profit-earning
activities.
Other Windows
7 EOL Options
There’s a good reason that such a low percentage of users
work with Windows 8. It was widely considered a disaster. According to The
Inquirer, “Users and administrators
adamantly demanded to step back to Windows 7 desktops. Not only was
the new user interface of Windows 8 unwelcoming, but the removal of simple
features such as the Start button sent users into a tizzy.”
The piece goes on to explain that although users freaked out
over the Windows 8 product, migrating to a user-friendly Windows 10 option
could be favorable.
“Adopting Windows 10
can be as simple as upgrading an existing Windows 7 computer based on
your Microsoft licensing agreement, but in many cases, a device refresh may be
necessary due to hard drive space, system resources or physical capabilities,”
The Inquirer article states. “From a
financial perspective, the cost of a new computer — plus IT staff setup time
and lost user productivity during the transition — comes at a significant
price.”
But there are other options on the market that
decision-makers may want to consider. These include the following.
- Apple Devices: If Macs appear a more suitable product for your evolving business goals, the Windows 7 EOL may offer a logical time to transition.
- BYOD: Some companies are shifting to “bring your own device” workforces. Again, this may be a time to discuss the possibility with your IT consultant.
Although migrating to Windows 10 is expected to be a reasonably
positive transition, there’s little argument that Windows 7 was a
solid product. It continues to be a highly regarded operating system and some
business leaders may want to consider the possibility of working with the
product beyond the 2020 EOL date.
It may come as something of a surprise, but Microsoft
reportedly may provide support for some organizations beyond the 2020 EOL date,
according to The Inquirer, Computer World, and others.
Called Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU),
the after-drop-dead deal will add support through January 2023, according to
Microsoft. “While many of you are already
well on your way in deploying Windows 10, we understand that everyone is at a
different point in the upgrade process,” Computer
World reported.
Additional Windows 7 support is expected to be
sold on one-year deals and businesses can expect to pay a premium. The move is
viewed as a costly stop-gap measure for organizations that are falling behind a
reasonable migration timeline.
Organizations that have not already begun the process of
migrating from Windows 7 to Windows 10 or another suitable option are
strongly advised to contact an IT professional ASAP. Delaying the inevitable
could prove expensive one way or another. Sensible Systems has a team
of knowledgeable migration consultants and specialists with the hands-on
experience to see your outfit through this challenging period.
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