From 8th April 2014 Microsoft will no longer be supporting their Windows XP SP3 Operating System (OS) or Office 2003 application.
With the 8th April deadline fast approaching, businesses across the UK are preparing for Microsoft support to come to an end, by upgrading their desktop estate to Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating systems. However, a large proportion of SME and Enterprise organisations are yet to move their business applications and data to either of these newer, updated platforms; before Microsoft pull their support of XP.
Continuing to run Windows XP and Office 2003 after 8th April could potentially expose your business to security and compliance risks.
Once XP goes out of support, Microsoft will not be offering new security updates for any vulnerabilities identified in XP, non-security hotfixes will no longer be released, and there is no guarantee that free, paid for or web-based technical support will be provided after the deadline.
This means that if any vulnerabilities to the XP OS are identified, once support comes to an end, Microsoft will not be providing the patches to fix them. Additionally, a number of independent software vendors and hardware manufacturers have indicated that they will not be supplying new versions of applications or hardware solutions compatible with the Windows XP OS.
As well as ensuring that your business’ IT infrastructure is comprehensively supported, with the capacity to engage with new technologies as they become available, making the move to a Windows 7 or Windows 8 OS can also help to increase operational efficiencies with improved PC security and management capabilities; and enable your business to utilise latest technologies more effectively; such as virtualisation and cloud computing.
Preparing for Migration
Despite the looming deadline, many organisations are still not prepared for the move from XP to a Windows 7 or Windows 8 OS, and have not yet provisioned the resource required to administer such a project.
Over the past 12 months, in preparation for the April 8th deadline, Krome have been successfully planning and implementing Windows XP upgrades, with minimal disruption to business operations for a number of clients, across both the public and private sector.
Krome has worked with local companies, educational institutions, and large enterprise organisations; including a leading private healthcare provider and large supermarket chain; helping them to prepare for when Windows XP and Office 2003 support comes to an end.
From 10 users to 17,000 users, Krome’s experienced team has helped to plan and execute the upgrade of hardware and software across locations nationwide, at thousands of individual client sites.
Krome’s project management team have the capabilities required to administer the entire process; from communicating with end-users, deploying technicians nationwide, upgrading or replacing hardware during or outside of working hours as required, to implementing the latest version of Windows within a virtual environment.
Krome covers every aspect of the upgrade to a new Windows OS; providing daily reports and progress updates, combined with management forecasts and timescales for project completion, to ensure the smooth transition to a new OS across your entire desktop estate.
With a range of tools available to make it even easier to capture data, and communicate key information about the upgrade across the business; including bespoke online portals tailored to suit the needs of your operation, Krome can help you to manage and collate relevant data and software audits; ensuring you capture vital information and deliver a seamless service to users throughout the migration.
Krome can provide the technical resources, tools, and comprehensive assistance that your business needs to make managing the Windows, Office and Internet Explorer suite of products as easy, and efficient as possible. For more information about upgrading to a new Windows OS, call or email to speak to a Krome representative about how we can help your business make the move to the latest operating systems supported by Microsoft.
