No, not the end of the world, though for some it might seem like it. In April of 2014 support for Windows XP and Office 2003 will come to an end. Even with this date looming, and it’s closer than you think, XP still makes up almost 40% of the current operating system market share, or around 500 million systems. We here at Mavidea have been actively helping our client base transition to newer operating
systems in a structured manner rather than waiting until the last minute. This in turn saves our clients significant time, money, and headaches. Another thing to consider for acting early is that currently Windows 7 is still available. I personally love Windows 8 and encourage its use, but I also understand the learning curve and what that might cost small businesses. If your business is waiting for the last minute to upgrade, Windows 8 is all you are going to be able to get.
Let’s talk about Office for a minute. If you are still running 2003 you are three versions behind and compatibility is quickly becoming an issue. Your IT department has to install compatibility packages so you can read the newer formats and you are probably completely frustrating anyone you send a document to who is running a newer version. Whether or not you are a fan of the new ribbon menu system, there have been significant usability improvements to Office since 2003. The new pre-installed templates in 2013 alone are a reason to switch. Let’s also not forget the big reason….Office 2013 will NOT run on XP. Nope, nada, won’t even install. So, now not only will procrastinators need to upgrade all of their computers at once, but they will also need to shell out for new Office for all of them. Depending on the size of your business this can be a significant capital outlay at one time.
So what exactly does end of life mean? It means that Microsoft will no longer be supplying any updates, security or otherwise, for XP or Office 2003. Why should you care? Because once end of life was announced the hacker community started hoarding their exploits. Currently if someone discovers a security flaw or hole, they will put out their exploit code and cause trouble for a while. Microsoft will issue a fix and plug the hole and viola! No more exploit. This will no longer happen after support ends. Those exploits will persist indefinitely….on 500 million computers. Your computers will no longer be yours, they will be part of a botnet intent on world domination. 60% of small business do not recover after a breach. A planned upgrade strategy will help keep your business protected and keep you from busting your budget with a large expense all at once.
Oh yeah, let’s also not forget that Server 2003 is end of support life in 2015…but that’s another blog post.
