Support is Ending for Windows XP and
Office 2003
Keeping your technology up-to-date is good for your productivity and security€as well as your bottom line.
Windows XP Service Pack 3
(SP3) and Office 2003 will be reaching end of support in April 2014. We
want to help you avoid the risk of running an unsupported version of
Windows & Office, and to assist with your IT planning for 2012. The
objective of this letter is to highlight the potential risks involved
with the upcoming end of support of these products and to outline the
options available to mitigate these risks.
What is the situation and potential risk?
Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will no longer be supported from April 8, 2014 onwards. After this date, Microsoft will not provide any public support for these products, including security patches, non-security hotfixes or incident support.
Running Windows XP SP3 and
Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may
expose your company to potential risks, such as:
-
Security & Compliance Risks
- Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security
risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by an
internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of
certifications, and/or public notification of the organization€s
inability to maintain its systems and customer information.
-
Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Support
€ A recent industry report from Gartner Research suggests "many
independent software vendors (ISVs) are unlikely to support new versions
of applications on Windows XP in 2011; in 2012, it will become common".
And it may stifle access to hardware innovation: Gartner Research
further notes that in 2012, most PC hardware OEMs will stop supporting
Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models.
What are the available options?
- Upgrade
- This option affords customers the best return on investment by
deploying a modern PC with Windows 7 Enterprise and Office 2010. Whether
you€re a small business or the largest corporation with offices
worldwide, moving to a modern PC with Windows 7 Enterprise and Office
2010 offers your business the ability to improve productivity for your
employees and increase operational efficiency through improved PC
security and management. To help customers with the migration/deployment
process, there
are several options including proof of concept (POC) and production
pilot programs, to help you achieve a successful upgrade to Windows 7
Enterprise and Office 2010.
- Purchase
a Custom Support contract through Premier Support to stay on
unsupported products € If, for any reason, you decide to remain on
Windows XP SP3 or Office 2003 after support ends, you have the option to
purchase Custom Support. As a condition of buying a Custom Support
contract, you must have a Premier Support agreement and Microsoft asks
that you have a migration plan in place. The cost of Custom Support is
significantly higher than regular support, and rises annually due to the
rising costs of supporting a legacy product.
- Do
nothing € Microsoft recommends customers avoid this option for it can
put you at risk of potential security and compliance issues.
Where can you find more information?
-
Full details on Microsoft product support lifecycle is available at: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle
-
Full details on end of support for Windows XP and Office 2003 is available at: www.microsoft.com/endofsupport
-
Full details on Microsoft
deployment guidance, training and free deployment tools for your IT
Professionals at: www.microsoft.com/springboard
We can work with you to
help you upgrade your PCs for today€s business environment. Contact us
if you would like a personalized evaluation of your current PCs.
Use with permission
from Microsoft.
If you are using Windows
XP(SP3) and/or Office 2003, and want to keep your technology
current, call Databranch today, to start planning your move to
Windows 7 and Office 2010.
|