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Consider these numbers from "Mitigating Risk: Why Sticking with Windows XP Is a Bad Idea". Published more than a year ago by the International Data Corporation (IDC), the report states that:
"IDC’s analysis shows that supporting older Windows XP installations, compared with a modern Windows 7-based solution, saddles organizations with a dramatically higher cost. Annual cost per PC per year for Windows XP is $870, while a comparable Windows 7 installation costs $168 per PC per year. That is an incremental $701 per PC per year for IT and end-user labor costs."
In terms of IT productivity, the IDC reported that migrating from XP to Windows 7 annually saved nine hours of time spent per PC (11.3 versus 2.3) - a change of 79%. Users, meanwhile, regained nearly eight hours of lost time (9.0 versus 1.2) - a change of 87%.
All told, the IDC found that over a three-year period, migrating from XP to Windows 7 generated a 137% return on investment.
Those numbers address the key reasons that migrating to Windows 7, at minimum, is worthwhile: cost, employee productivity and system performance. Conversely, why cut ties with XP?
Security
As noted earlier, 30% of small to mid-sized businesses still use XP. Once Microsoft ends support, zero-day vulnerabilities that have been created - and banked for April 8 and beyond - are expected to be released. Keep in mind: As viruses and other forms of malware continue to grow more sophisticated, an unpatched system doesn’t stand a chance.
"There could be some (third-party anti-virus) vendors that try to patch, but it wouldn’t be the preferred way (to move forward)," GFI’s Bugeja said. "If the platform is dying, the number of investments going into it would surely be reduced."
Compliance
Security is most commonly associated with XP’s end of life. However, meeting compliance in heavily regulated industries is equally critical. Failing to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, better known as
HIPAA, as well as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, or
PCI-DSS, can be costly.
Compatibility
Expect the effects of XP’s death to also impact hardware. Manufacturers won’t continue making office equipment - think printers and scanners, for instance - compatible with XP. Remember, they also want to make money. Why spend to make products compatible with a system that’s no longer supported?
Which modern OS is best for your business? It’s time to do your research, learn what distinguishes
Windows 7 from
Windows 8.1, and map out a migration plan.
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