Are you still running Windows XP in your business?

Is your business still running Windows XP, and now that it is not supported by Microsoft if Windows XP were to stop working would your business stop working too?

Microsoft announced in 2013 that all support for Windows XP would end in April 2014 and we have worked with a large number of clients to upgrade them to Windows 7 and Windows 8 without any headaches.

However we do know that there are a lot of businesses still running Windows XP – without ongoing support from Microsoft – without any issue.  The issue will only arise when the system develops a problem, and of course we all know that computer systems never break down…

Unfortunately that is not true.  Computer systems are intricate and developing all of the time meaning problems do occur on a regular basis.  Otherwise why would you need companies like Bespoke Computing Ltd on hand to provide IT support for your business?

BBC technology correspondent Mark Wood took a look at the project started by John Lewis back in 2011 to upgrade their 26,000 computers still running Windows XP.

In this article a comment comes from Garry Owen of VMWare who says “very often companies have these black box applications that just work but nobody knows how. The perception is that companies cannot take the risk of them stopping working because if they do the business stops too”.

As Mark Ward says, the need to replace the XP operating system became urgent in April when Microsoft officially stopped supporting it, and businesses like John Lewis were ready.

Tricky Decision for those Still Running Windows XP?

Their 26,000 devices had all been upgraded to Windows 7 – a switch-over which began in early 2013. They had thought about paying Microsoft to keep offering bespoke support but as the annual cost to the UK government for just one year of support is over £5 million it appears they made the right decision.

The businesses we have worked with, since the announcement from Microsoft that support for XP would cease, have been mainly focused on upgrades but switching from XP can be tricky if firms have written lots of software in-house.

Regardless of the size of your business, if you are still running Windows XP and need to upgrade it can be a complicated process.  It is always best to speak to your IT company and take advice from a professional to look at the best course of action.