Are you still running Windows XP?

Did you know that support for Windows XP will stop on April 18 2014?

That is not too far away in the realm of Computer System upgrades. In fact if you are thinking of an upgrade it is best to start planning around 18 months beforehand.

One of the most compelling reasons I heard recently (at a Microsoft Partner Briefing) was that any new loopholes in Windows XP will no longer be fixed. Once support for the version is withdrawn no further bug fixes or vulnerabilities will be fixed.

Now you may not think that this is too serious, however from a security point of view it can be extremely detrimental to your system. Take the use of the internet. If you have a Windows XP machine connected to the Internet and in May 2014 a new bug is found that allows malware to take control of your system, well you are stuck. Microsoft will no longer be supporting the software and that bug would not be fixed. This could cause a huge security risk to your computer systems. (see this article – Cyber Threat Alert to Windows XP users – from the FT.com)

If you have legacy (old version) software that will only run on a Windows XP machine, then your best bet is to take that machine off of your network and make sure it is not connected to the Internet.

There are other reasons to upgrade too. Rebooting your PC after a malware attack is faster with Windows 7 or 8 and downtime in general is reduced with the newer Operating Systems.

If you do run an office full of Windows XP machines, then talk to your IT support team as soon as possible about planning for an upgrade. Having invested all that time, money and effort in getting your systems up and running, make sure that they stay up and running!!