Two of Microsoft’s (MSFT) flagship services are going to no longer have any support as of April 8th, 2014: Windows XP and Office 2003. Microsoft is warning suggesting that companies who have not migrated from Windows XP and Office 2003 start the process soon. MSFT released the OS more than a decade ago (October 2001 to be precise).
On their blog, Naked Security, Sophos says that Windows XP still holds a 39% market share on the desktop. What if you are still using XP or Office 2003? Microsoft simply says it means you should “take action.” There will no longer be any security updates or assisted support options, online or otherwise, through Microsoft.
The lack of any security updates means there will be “unchecked security and compliance risks” as well as a lack of support and updates that keep the software compatible with the newest technologies.
Sophos speculates that one of the security implications of the bad guys holding onto new Windows XP exploits until MSFT stops patching XP. There’s certainly the potential for a lot of havoc if 39% of the PCs get infected by new internet-propagating worms that target Windows XP systems. Even an increase in Internet Explorer 8 browser exploits that could open the doors wide for all kinds of malware infections.
It can take up to 18 months for the average medium to large business to install new programs, roll out all the updates, and import all customer data. Firms may need to upgrade their PCs and retrain their staff to use newer, more dependable Microsoft products.
Microsoft says this move comes after they introduced their Support Lifecycle policy in 2002. All of Microsoft’s products get 10 years of support – 5 Mainstream and 5 Extended – and once those ten years are up, the company encourages all users to move on to more recent products that will often fit the needs of an individual and a company more closely.
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In my world, we have started to migrate off of XP to Win7, due to state-mandated testing requirements. Does anyone else see the irony in the fact that the Gates Foundation is a backer of large-scale multi-state standardized online testing that forces school districts in 22 states to migrate off of WinXP, a known entity that most people have long gotten their ROI out of the perpetual licenses to a new OS Win7 (Win8 HA) that they are pushing as a subscription?
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.