Windows XP: Soon to be Gone but Not Forgotten

It’s not quite like the coming of Y2K or the build-up to the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar, but on April 8 the IT world will change forever. In about a month and half, Microsoft (MSFT) will stop updating Windows XP.

While the news that Microsoft no longer will be supporting an OS that’s three releases removed at this point shouldn’t be such a big deal, the dated XP has refused to go into the night without a fight. In fact, by some estimates more than 30 percent of the world’s PCs are still running the antiquated OS—my wife’s would be one of them. Outside of individual users there are many small-to-midsize companies that are still using the Windows XP and, to be frank, are quite happy with it. I currently run Windows 7 but I have to admit, there is something about the XP OS that appears to be smoother.

However, affinity aside, these businesses and individuals are going to be at tremendous risk after April. For although they may love their beloved XP, Microsoft will stop updating the software, which means no more fixes and patches. Other software vendors, if they haven’t done so already, also will stop updating their applications to work with XP and drivers probably no longer will be available.

The biggest issue, however, is security. Without updated support, machines running XP will be left vulnerable to a whole slew of malware and viruses that can, at the very least, disable the system or, worse, steal critical data. This is dangerous waters for organizations and individuals. At the very core, security is the top priority for every IT department.

Here is where solutions providers really are worth their weight in gold—seamlessly migrating customers over to a more current version of Windows. This may include new hardware, memory and storage requirements—all of which spell out service opportunity for the channel. It’s not as easy as simply upgrading to a new version such as Windows 8. Installers and drivers will be needed for existing programs. This can be a monumental undertaking for enterprise organizations and solution providers need to seize the opportunity.

Solution providers offer businesses comprehensive technical resources, tools and expert guidance. This is all to alleviate the process and make it easier to migrate or update to a newer Windows environment, whether it be Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8 Pro. If organizations want Windows 8.1 Pro, they probably will need new machines across the board. Solution providers will be critical in this technology-decision phase.

For those organizations with strict compliance regulations—financial services and health care—they may not have much of a choice and may have to upgrade just to satisfy requirements.

While the expiration of Windows XP is not unexpected, its official burial will force many businesses to act and they will turn to the solution provider channel for help. As for me, looks as though my wife will finally get a new PC. R.I.P., Windows XP.

Knock ’em alive!