Moving on from Windows 7: What are your options?

Moving on from Windows 7: What are your options?

When Windows 7 reaches its end of support date on January 14, 2020, all technical support, software updates, and security patches will no longer be available for the operating system (OS). This means that any device running on Windows 7 will become vulnerable to cyberthreats such as malware, phishing, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, among others.

At this point, you’ve probably accepted that your business needs to move on and leave Windows 7 for good. But where exactly should your organization go? Here are a few ideas:

#1. Upgrade to Windows 10

In terms of user experience, Windows 10 is the successor to Windows 7, and there’s a good reason why 43.96% of users worldwide have upgraded to it. The former offers better security solutions, delivers updates more efficiently, and has a wider range of compatible productivity apps.

The newest iteration of Windows also offers almost the same familiar experience as Windows 7. There will be new things to learn, such as finding apps and adjusting certain settings, but users will find themselves adapting to Windows 10 faster than they think. Windows 10 lets you enjoy the current features of Windows 7 while offering more functionalities that could supercharge efficiency along the way.

F1 Solutions has extensively reaches out to all of its clients over the last 16 months to tailor a Windows 10 upgrade plan for them. If you’re interested in having your systems upgraded to Microsoft’s newest OS soon, feel free to drop us a line, and we’ll be more than ready to lend you a hand.

#2. Stick to Windows 7

There’s always the option to stick to good ol’ Windows 7. Your computers will still function as they normally would, and your employees can still use programs and access files. However, since Windows 7 will eventually lose support, you are leaving your machines defenseless against cyberattacks. Without the regular security patches that keep threats at bay, it will only be a matter of time before your business suffers a major data breach, so sticking to Windows 7 isn’t exactly a good idea.

For businesses that are finding it difficult to let go of Windows 7 or still in the process of upgrading to a newer OS, they can pay Microsoft for extended support. However, this will cost $50 per device, and this price will double every year.

In comparison, while an upgrade to Windows 10 will cost $199.99 per lifetime license, it entitles the user to new features that can improve their productivity, as well as free security updates that will protect the system against cyberattacks.

Remaining with Windows 7 is the most impractical option of all. You might be considering this option because it’s easy to just leave things as they are in your current IT infrastructure, but if you suffer a cyberattack, the repercussions can be costly. For instance, if a ransomware attack locked up all your files, you would need to spend money to recover them. Remember that most of the time, the price of recovery is much more expensive than upgrading. F1 recommends not to take this option, as upgrading to Windows 10 is better for your business.

F1 Solutions has been very proactive in getting our clients in North Alabama to move away from Windows 7 through our extensive upgrade services. If you’re interested in upgrading your systems to more modern ones such as Windows 10, give us a call so we can get started.


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