Support for a number of Microsoft Products including Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 officially ends next week, on January 14th, 2020 and Office 2010 will reach its end of support on October 13th, 2020. 

After these dates Microsoft will stop delivering software and security updates as well as all technical support for any issues, and consequently many third-party vendors are also dropping their support.  

If your business is still running on any of these platforms, you have some important decisions to make. Working with unsupported software puts both your business and customer data at risk. As well as this, it could stop functioning without notice, and it may be impossible to recover data. 

When security updates stop next week, it will make it easier for hackers as your systems become extremely vulnerable – resulting in increased risk of malware or ransomware attacks, and the costs of cleaning up can be expensive and time consuming.  

If you operate in a regulated sector such as financial services, legal, medical or hold Cyber Essentials certification you will find yourself in breach of regulatory codes and any certifications you hold will become invalid. 

What to do next?

All three products will continue to operate and work after their end of support dates. However, if you don’t act soon, you could be held ransom by hackers who will have access to your confidential business data, and like stated previously, the costs of cleaning up after one of these is extremely uneconomical, for any business.  

If you’re worried about what to do or where to go, razorblue can help. 

To get the best out of your IT systems and to enrich your business, we would recommend upgrading your systems: 

• If you’re still using Windows 7, upgrade to Windows 10 
• If you’re still using Office 2010 or Exchange 2010, upgrade to Office 365 

• For Windows Server 2008, upgrade to Windows Server 2019 

Microsoft 365 comes with an inclusive upgrade for desktop & laptop users with a Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 license on their device, so purchasing this could be a smart choice for your business. Moreover, Office 365, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 are built for businesses with enterprise-grade security, enhanced productivity and the latest features to get more done, so all of your data will be safe, and your business will run smoothly.  

For businesses with on-site server infrastructure, now might also be a good time to look at moving your systems to the cloud. 

What are the benefits of moving to Windows 10? 

The change of direction will enable Microsoft to focus on their most recent software. Companies are being urged to upgrade to Windows 10 or Windows Server 2019 to enable them to utilise these new features and tools, and most importantly to ensure they are supported.  

There are many benefits of upgrading to Microsoft’s latest OS. One vital benefit of moving to Windows 10 is that your business will be supported from needless cybercrime. It brings enhanced security such as Bitlocker encryption as standard and artificial intelligence to fight against Ransomware such as WannaCry. 

Aside from the security benefits of moving to Windows 10, the move also brings productivity enhancements including better multitasking and performance on newer hardware such as SSDs and the latest generation processors.  

Windows 10 is also natively integrated with cloud platforms like Azure AD, paving the way to a serverless world.  

How do I do this? 

You can upgrade your existing compatible hardware, and there may be no cost of the license itself depending on how old your hardware is. If you don’t have the required hardware, it will perhaps be more affordable to replace your PC/ laptop with a new one. PC’s/ laptops are lighter, faster and more affordable than ever, so in some cases it would make more sense to replace the hardware, which will also provide more longevity to your business.  

Or alternatively, we can do the hard work for you. We understand that migrating is easier said than done, but the positives of migrating with razorblue outweigh the negatives, following seamless, hassle free completion. 

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we have extensive experience in Microsoft Office 365 implementations in a range of diverse businesses. Get in touch today and one of our experts will be happy to help.   

Things to be aware of in the future  

Office 2010 will not work with Office 365 from October 2010. Therefore, we urge you to update to Office 365. The difference between the two is that Office 2010 has not has any new features introduced in almost 10 years, whereas 365 includes premium versions of the older applications. As well as other services that are enabled over the internet, including: OneDrive (online storage), added security features and the experience of Office on PC’s, Macs, Mobile Phones and Tablets.