Still Clinging to Windows XP–Time’s Up!

Windows XP was released in 2001, and at 12 years old is long in the tooth.  Microsoft will officially discontinue support for Windows XP in April 2014.  At that point in time, all security updates for what has been a security nightmare will cease.  Any new vulnerabilities that are discovered, and new threats that are developed to exploit them will remain unpatched.  It’s time to move on.

Sure, you wisely skipped the disappointing and troublesome Windows Vista.  But you have missed out on four years of Windows 7 bliss, possibly the best operating system ever developed, certainly the best of Windows.  And now you are faced with the prospect of having to upgrade to Windows 8, an operating system that is technically superb, but with a bold, new and confusing user interface that few people like, and most find annoying.

Usually I advise people to upgrade to the latest version of Windows, but there is still time to get into Windows 7, which has a user interface that is much more similar to XP than Windows 8.  So if you are hanging on or holding out, it’s time.  Although you will not find anything but Windows 8 in the stores, you can still order Windows 7 through independent computer professionals, and online from companies like Dell.  We are still providing Windows 7 computers for our clients.  If you are ready to make a move, do it now. 

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About the Author:

I am a cybersecurity and IT instructor, cybersecurity analyst, pen-tester, trainer, and speaker. I am an owner of the WyzCo Group Inc. In addition to consulting on security products and services, I also conduct security audits, compliance audits, vulnerability assessments and penetration tests. I also teach Cybersecurity Awareness Training classes. I work as an information technology and cybersecurity instructor for several training and certification organizations. I have worked in corporate, military, government, and workforce development training environments I am a frequent speaker at professional conferences such as the Minnesota Bloggers Conference, Secure360 Security Conference in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, the (ISC)2 World Congress 2016, and the ISSA International Conference 2017, and many local community organizations, including Chambers of Commerce, SCORE, and several school districts. I have been blogging on cybersecurity since 2006 at http://wyzguyscybersecurity.com

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