Wait, are you still using Windows 7?
A recent study published by Kollective, an enterprise content delivery firm, indicates that as many as 43% of enterprises in the United States and United Kingdom are still using Windows 7 computers. Windows 7 is a nine-year-old operating system that had mainstream support end on January 13, 2015 and its extended support to end January 14, 2020. This means in January of 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates to this operating system. This will increase cybersecurity risks to those businesses who will still be using Windows 7.
Updating your business technology regularly is critical to cyber-securing your small business. It is important to be aware of the life cycle of support for all of your devices and of the operating systems those devices use and plan upgrades accordingly. Upgrades should not be rushed and planned methodically to ensure as little disruption as possible.