Microsoft publicly announced January 14, 2020 as the end date for extended support (also known as End of Life (EoL), for the Windows 7 operating system. As of that date, Microsoft will no longer produce any patches or updates to address known or otherwise newly discovered issues for the Windows 7 platform.
What does the withdrawal of support mean?
The withdrawal of support not only means that you will no longer receive security updates but also that Microsoft will cease to offer technical support for any issues related to Windows 7 or the other affected systems.
Therefore, in practical terms your computer will be less safe, vulnerable to cyber-attack and more prone to breaking down. You could also potentially fall foul of your GDPR obligations to keep customers data safe – e.g. if hackers were to be able to get into your system and steal customer data because security had not been kept up to date.
Is it just Windows 7 affected?
It is not just Windows 7 – other Microsoft applications including Office 2010, Exchange 2010, Small Business Server 2011 and Windows Server 2008 will also ceased to be supported.
I might have Windows 7 – what should I do?
Firstly, don’t panic and act now.
The good news is that in most cases there is a free in place upgrade to Windows 10. There are few compatibility issues to consider but we highly encourage you to get in touch today so that reduce the risk to your business IT infrastructure.
Get in touch today to see how we can help.
