An End to Windows 7: How to Keep the Lights On with Outsourced IT Services

The clock is ticking for Windows 7. In less than a year, Microsoft will stop supporting and providing security updates for one of its most popular operating systems, affecting millions of PCs in businesses and homes across the globe. The discontinuation on Jan. 14, 2020 will mark the first Windows software to go back up on the shelf since a successful Windows XP run concluded nearly five years ago. Windows 7 has been the preferred operating system for many. As of today, nearly 40 percent of all Windows PC users run their businesses, surf the internet and do the family budget with the system’s wheels turning in the background. Industry tech specialists say Windows 7 will be regarded as “the next Windows XP” and remain a viable operating system for business and consumers for years to come. The system will continue to operate but it could, however, become a sitting duck to new malware lurking on the horizon. One PC online publication said, “the risks of exploits aimed at vulnerabilities in Windows 7 will increase substantially, especially because Windows versions share a large part of the code, and many of the discovered security flaws affect more than just a specific product. As a result, Windows 7 users could be exposed whenever this happens, and given everyone expects this OS version to remain highly popular even after the end of support, cyber criminals will make it one of their top targets.” In addition, Microsoft recommends that users should move away from using Internet Explorer, which will also no longer receive security updates after Jan. 14, 2020. A large migration to Windows 7 can be time consuming RealPage Vice President Chris Cranfill, of SmartSource Managed Information Technology Services, is advising customers to upgrade to Windows 10 now, which already has a 40 percent stake in the marketplace. “You have thousands of Windows 7 people out there,” he said. “The end of support for Windows 7 is the next...