July 2, 2013

You have been identified as possibly having 1 or more Windows XP Machines.

What does this mean for you? 

Actually you are not required to do anything but we feel it is our duty and obligation to let you know what the risks are to you and your business.

Windows XP Support is coming to an end by Microsoft on April 8, 2014.

This does not mean Sterling Rose will not continue to support it.    It means Microsoft will stop releasing security updates and software fixes related to Windows XP as well as new programs and updates might not work with Windows XP.

So what if we stay with XP?

There’s a seemingly valid contention that sticking with XP after Microsoft’s end of life for the OS isn’t a big deal. Most large companies have applications and custom code from the COBOL days, and no doomsday scenarios are playing out, so why should XP be any different?

While this logic is sound, XP remains one of the major targets for exploits, primarily due to market share. Just as infamous bank robber Willy Sutton quipped that he robbed banks “because that’s where the money is,” malware and targeted exploits will go after systems with a large installed base. Surely new exploits will be found after Microsoft ends support, and users will have to rely on Microsoft extending support yet again, or a third party layering protections atop Microsoft’s code

What if I want to upgrade?

Now is a great time to upgrade.   While we feel Windows 8 is not right due to its drastic user interface changes especially removal of the Start Menu and Windows 8.1 not making things much better. Windows 7 is a great choice and has been around and some large companies are just beginning Windows 7 deployments.  This means you can upgrade to an operating system that is very well supported and will continue to be for a while at least till the year 2020.

What is it going to cost?

That’s a great question.   There is the new hardware cost which is minimal.    But the reason we send out this letter months in advance are to give you time to budget replacement as there could be software that might need to be upgraded as well.     We realize that it is not just the cost of the PC but the labor, data transfer, and any associated software costs that add up to the total cost.

If you would like to discuss this further and would like to start planning do not hesitate to reach out to us to setup a meeting.