Update your software to protect your business

Garden centers still using Windows XP after April 8, 2014, will be courting peril, according to countless IT experts, given that all Microsoft support for the operating system ends on that day – leaving XP forever vulnerable to new security breaches.

“The importance of upgrading from Windows XP cannot be overstated,” says Tim Rains, director of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing. “We truly want people to understand the risks of running Windows XP after support ends, and to recognize the security benefits of upgrading to a more modern operating system.”
 

What will happen in April?

Of course, despite the warnings, there still will be some hold-outs. But Information Technology (IT) security analysts say that garden centers sticking with XP will have to deal with hackers who will have a field day poking holes in XP’s security after Microsoft abandons the operating system (OS) in April. Those hackers know full well that that any security vulnerabilities they find in XP will no longer be patched by the software maker after April 8, 2014.

IT security analysts also predict that a rash of hacker attacks will be unleashed on unsuspecting XP users as soon as the deadline passes. The reason? Many hackers are currently discovering and squirreling away new flaws in XP’s security, knowing these vulnerabilities will last forever once Microsoft discontinues support for the system.
 

Why fix it if it’s not broken?

According to Net Applications, the 12-year-old Windows XP system is still used on by many small businesses and 31 percent of personal computers (PCs) worldwide. Indeed, a fall 2013 study by Dimensional Research found that 47 percent of businesses worldwide had not completed their migrations from Windows XP to Windows 7 or 8. Moreover, an additional 16 percent had not even started to migrate.

“The deadline is looming,” says Mahesh Kumar, chief marketing officer for BDNA, an IT consulting firm. “People are now saying, ‘Oh my God. I have to get it done.’”

The extreme reluctance of small businesses to migrate from XP has been a source of much consternation at Microsoft, which for years has been beseeching firms to move to more modern versions of the operating system.

The problem, in part, is that XP was — and is — a home run for Microsoft. Over the years, the OS has earned a reputation as very stable and very reliable. Plus, XP runs many software programs that are simply not compatible with later versions of Windows — a major sticking point for businesses.

Understandably, businesses are in no rush to migrate away from XP, knowing full well they’ll also be forced to re-purchase newer versions of the same applications that run just fine on their XP computers.

The reluctance to upgrade has also been exacerbated by the memory of Microsoft’s release of Windows Vista, which initially had major compatibility problems with peripheral hardware, and ran slower than XP on many PCs.

And while Microsoft’s follow-up OS, Windows 7, was generally cheered, its latest offering — Windows 8 — again has the Redmond goliath in the doghouse. This time, the newest version of Windows has drawn a rash of sneers for its radical new look and feel, which is designed to force-feed touch-screen computing to traditional PC users, like it or not.
 

Do I really have to upgrade?

Even so, amidst all the reluctance and amidst all the recent grimacing over Microsoft’s latest moves, garden centers still running XP are staring at a hard truth: Either migrate to a newer version of Windows — or another operating system, such as Linux, Apple’s iOs or Android — by April 8, 2014, or make preparations to take a seat in the ‘Windows XP Next Victim Shooting Gallery.’

“This may feel like a scam by Microsoft to force you to spend money on an upgrade, but it’s actually a natural part of the software lifecycle,” says Jerry Fett, CEO, Smart IT, a computer consulting firm.

“Upon upgrading from XP to Windows 8, you may be pleasantly surprised to see a performance boost after dealing with XP after all these years,” Fett adds. “This is primarily because XP came out before the latest and most commonly-used solutions were even conceived. Think back to what the Internet was like twelve years ago — that’s what XP was designed for. Running new software on a new OS will yield you maximum productivity.”

One suspects not every small business owner is as bright-eyed as Fett about migrating. But with the inevitable approaching, at least you’ll have some tools to get you through:

Microsoft: Microsoft has a few tools to help small businesses migrate from Windows XP, including its Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit and the Microsoft User State Migration Tool.

More at: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd560801%28v=WS.10%29.aspx

The “Professional” and “Enterprise” Versions of Windows 8: Both of these versions of Windows 8 enable a small business to run a ‘virtual’ copy of another operating system — including a virtual copy of Windows XP. (There have been reports that getting this feature to work is difficult or impossible on some PCs.)

In practice, this enables a small business to run both XP and Windows 8 on the same PC – and most importantly, to run all those XP programs that they would otherwise have to abandon if they simply ran Windows 8 on their machines.

Essentially, running a virtual copy of XP on Windows 8 is a great, short-term fix to slowly move a business from XP to Windows 8. But after April 8, 2014, the safest course is to run the virtual copy of XP only when the PC is not connected to the Internet, to avoid potential Internet viruses and break-ins.

The Windows 7 Pro, Ultimate and Enterprise versions also offer a similar virtualization — Windows XP Mode.

But some users have complained that XP Mode on Windows 7 slows down their applications.

More at: www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/enterprise/products-and-technologies/windows-8-1/compare/default.aspx

Dell: The company is offering a soup-to-nuts service to help business migrate to more modern versions of Windows. For more info, check out: (www.dell.com/learn/us/en/555/services/client-os-migration-consulting) and (www.kace.com/solutions/business-needs/windows-7-migration)

HP: This major PC player also offers a comprehensive migration service. “By working with a company such as HP, which has hardware and services solutions in place, businesses can almost immediately start realizing the benefits of Windows 8 and Windows 7,” says Enrique Lores, a senior vice president at HP.

HP is also advising businesses to use its HP Connected Backup 8.8 service, which enables a business to back up all its data in the cloud, and enables IT administrators — as well as users — to access that data using their newer version of Windows.

More at: www8.hp.com/us/en/ads/xp-migration/landing.html?jumpid=ex_r11260_go_goodbyexp_redirect and www.autonomy.com/products/connected-backup

XPMigrations: Smaller to medium-sized retail stores may want to check out this co-op community. It’s a nationwide group of independent, certified IT pros who specialize in migrating businesses from XP to Windows 7, 8 and other operating systems. The community is also hosting a series of ongoing, XP migration seminars in major cities across the U.S.

More at: http://xpmigrations.com

Migrate 7, by Tranxition: This is simple migration software that preserves a PC’s “persona.” Migrate 7 automatically locates, stores, transfers and reconnects user settings and data files, including desktop configurations, mapped network drives, internet settings and accounts, service and protocol information, internet favorites and bookmarks, email services, address books and inboxes, custom dictionaries and many more. Similar software can be found via Google by searching for “Windows XP migration software.”

More at: http://tranxition.com/2013/08/migrate7-version-8-5-released/

Joe Dysart is an internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan. He can be reached at joe@joedysart.com. www.joedysart.com.