Windows 7 end of life… Vinyl records, Polaroid cameras, Atari 2600, the Commodore 64… these were all amazing bits of technology. But better technical solutions took over. Hang on… vinyl records are back in but… Windows 7 won’t return!
Windows 7 was released 11 years ago to right the wrongs of Windows Vista. Even when Windows 10 rolled out, many users stayed with Windows 7, unless they were forced into an upgrade. A security consulting agency recently surveyed 60,000 organisations and discovered that 70% were still using the beloved operating system (OS).
However, Windows 7 isn’t like a good, old vinyl record where one can still indulge. To continue with Windows 7 after end of life is no longer a matter of preference a very costly risk.
As of January 14, 2020, Microsoft ceased mainstream support for Windows 7. For the businesses still running Windows 7 on hundreds of millions of computers, this means no more functionality updates, security patches, or bug fixes.
Cybercriminals relentlessly refine and modify their attack methods, so an operating system must keep up with these constant and advancing threats. The devastating 2017 WannaCry attack that targeted a vulnerability that infected 200,000 machines, 98% of those infected were running Windows 7.
Without support and security patches, all Windows 7 systems are at high risk of cyberattacks. Sad to say but… cyberattacks are not “if” but “when” and the cost can be high enough to put many small companies out of business.
The expense to upgrade may seem steep for some businesses, but the cost of a cyberattack is greater.
Businesses still running Windows should upgrade as soon as possible.
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