Windows 7 end of life went into effect on January 14, 2020, officially ending Microsoft’s 10-year support of one of the world’s most utilised operating systems. What does this mean for your business? With the official Windows 7 end of life, Microsoft will no longer provide technical assistance and software updates that help protect your PC from security risks and viruses. Hackers are continuously looking for ways to exploit security holes in operating systems, thankfully these security risks are continually ‘patched’ while under the support of Microsoft. Effectively this means any remaining security risks in Windows 7 can be now be exploited, compromising the security of your business’ technology infrastructure. While businesses running Windows 7 or Office 2010 will still be able to use their computers without upgrading, continuing to do so could pose potential risks for your business.
To Migrate Windows 7 to Windows 10 and to Migrate Office 2010 to Office 365 for your business has never been easier with the Managed IT services of Connected Platforms. Connected Platforms can make the migration of Windows 7 to Windows 10 on your network a seamless experience and your employees will quickly see the many benefits that this upgrade will entail. Get in touch with us today to see how maintaining your network in peak form can provide tangible benefits to your employees and your business as a whole.
Benefits to Migrate Windows 7 to Windows 10
For most businesses, technology upgrades are often seen as expensive, unnecessary and may even inhibit the operations of their business; After all, if it’s not broken, why fix it? This is not the case with software that is vital to the operations of your business. The latest software will improve the way your employees interact with their day-to-day tasks while also ensuring the safety of your business’s technological infrastructure. Speed, usability, security and Office 365 integration are the four pillars of why your business should take Windows 7 end of life as the perfect opportunity to migrate Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Speed
A modern desktop running Windows 10 will on average perform 80% better when compared to running an outdated laptop with an outdated operating system such as Windows 7. Employees using Windows 10 will quickly notice the significant improvement in the speed of the operating system. Windows 10 achieves this by cutting down on unnecessary processes resulting in a fast user experience. Businesses who migrate Windows 7 to Windows 10 will see an increase in employee multitasking and overall productivity. Employees on Windows 10 will simply be able to get more done in less time as they won’t be bottle-necked by the previous constraints of an outdated operating system and computer.
Usability
If you’re migrating from Windows 8, one of the biggest changes will be the return of the Start Menu from Windows 7. The tiles from Windows 8 aren’t completely gone through – Windows 10 has combined the functionality of the Start Menu with the ease of use of the Windows 8 tiles. Employees will now have greater control over how they access applications and control their Windows experience. Businesses that have equipped employees with touch-screen compatible devices will now be able to take advantage of Windows 10’s touch screen functionality improving how an employee interacts with their device. Finally, with the addition of Microsoft Edge – Microsoft’s answer to a web browser that combines the latest in security features, easy to use functionality and Cortana integration, it’s easy to see why businesses should migrate Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Security
It is a common myth that hackers only go after large corporations, in reality, more than 50% of businesses have suffered a data breach resulting in losses averaging $84,000, not to mention the loss of reputation and client’s trust. Keeping up-to-date and current with the latest software releases is imperative to ensuring the safety of your data. Windows 10 is jammed packed with security features that will help protect your business from internal and external security threats. Some of these security features include:
- Windows Defender Smart Screen – Is a ‘block-at-first-sight’ software improvement that helps protect employees by blocking websites that have been reported to contain phishing or malware.
- Windows Defender Application Guard – Businesses can designate trusted sites for employees to browse freely. If a site has not been designated as ‘trusted’, the site will be opened in a container effectively cutting it off from vital company resources.
- User Account Control – With User Account Control businesses can block users from performing specific tasks such as installing unauthorised applications and preventing accidental changes to system settings.
Windows 10 is continuously supported by Microsoft, ensuring the latest in security improvements. The best way to protect your business from potential security threats is to migrate Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Migrate Office 2010 to Office 365
Office 2010 end of life is upcoming and will go into effect on October 13, 2020, and as with Windows 7 end of life, this will mean an end to technical support, bug fixes and security fixes in the Office 2010 software suite. While at the time of writing Office 2010 end of life is still a few months away, businesses who are looking to migrate Windows 7 to Windows 10 can benefit when they migrate Office 2010 to Office 365 before Office 2010 reaches end of life.
Environmental sustainability is at the forefront of modern business practices paving the way for cloud computing which has changed how businesses integrate technology into their day-to-day activities. Unlike past editions of Office, Office 365 is based on a subscription model and now provides the powerful office suite via Microsoft’s cloud services. Businesses now have the flexibility to easily scale their usage as they grow and to create a custom solution of required apps for each employee or department by simply adding or removing licenses. These subscriptions allow employees to work anywhere as their subscription can be tied to a work email address and used across multiple devices – no longer requiring individual copies of the software to be purchased on each device.
As Office 365 is cloud-based, businesses can make use of Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint software to easily share and access data across a business’ entire network. Businesses who migrate Office 2010 to Office 365 will ensure that their employees are always using the most up-to-date software from Microsoft at no additional charge. As the software is cloud-based, Microsoft can continually add new features and capabilities and employees will be able to access them as soon as they are released. The ability for Microsoft to update the software on the cloud ensures that Office 365 users will always be using software that has the most recent security patches, protecting your business from potential security breaches.
Still unsure if your business should migrate Windows 7 to Windows 10 or migrate Office 2010 to Office 365? Book a Coffee Meeting with Eric from Connected Platforms today to see how migrating to the latest software can not only improve the productivity of your employees but also serves to protect your business from potential security breaches or to find out more about our other IT solutions for businesses like yours.
