Microsoft has been telling the general public, and especially businesses, who still have Windows XP installed on their PCs to upgrade to Windows 7 ASAP. The official support for Windows XP is due to end from Microsoft in less than two years. Today, Microsoft issued a new report, in collaboration with the analyst firm IDC, that claims to show businesses that still have Windows XP could benefit from an upgrade to Windows 7.
The official Windows Business blog links to a new whitepaper from IDC that goes over all of the reasons businesses should ditch Windows XP. The report"s conclusion states:
Given the age of Windows XP, which is now two generations behind Microsoft"s current product technology, the time has come for customers to realistically consider that they are placing their businesses at risk by continuing to utilize Windows XP. Organizations that continue to retain a Windows XP environment not only are leaving themselves exposed to security risks and support challenges but also are wasting budget dollars that would be better used in modernizing their IT investments.
So what if you have a business and just don"t want to upgrade Windows XP because it "just works" for you? Microsoft and IDC say that would be a mistake. Microsoft"s blog says:
IT labor costs go up 25 percent in the fourth year of continuing to run Windows XP past deadline, and user productivity suffers as well, with an increased cost of 23 percent. In the fifth year, IT labor increases by an additional 29 percent, and user productivity costs jump up a staggering 40 percent.
Microsoft is currently scheduled to end official support of Windows XP on April 8, 2014. Currently, Windows XP is still the most used PC OS in the world with Net Application showing it to have 46 percent of the total market share for PCs.
Source: Microsoft Business blog