With the EOL of Windows XP fast approaching, companies all across the globe are still scrambling to plan and budget the migration to a new operating system. Sure it sounds easy, just upgrade to Windows 7 or 8, right?……………. wrong. It’s not that easy for many. Companies will face many challenges with the expiration of XP, and it can potentially come at a very high cost, risk the security, confidence and reputation of the organization if not planned and executed properly. Organizations of all shapes and sizes will potentially be required by industry standardization, internal policy and regulatory commissions to re-write security policies, as well as undergo various types of auditing when migrating to a new operating system depending on the industry and company. Potential hardware and software upgrades will be eminent as well. Many companies rely heavily on Windows based operating systems, for their ease of use, compatibility, reliability, etc. What many companies don’t realize is that they have had a very long free ride since the release of Windows XP with its 13+ year life cycle, and have become very accustom to the XP lifestyle with few headaches and needs to upgrade technology. Microsoft states that the life cycles of its operating systems will continue to decrease, as the company focuses towards more rapid, and competitive improvements, as well as its growing adaption to the Cloud. Microsoft has already moved its full suite of office products to the cloud with the release of Office 365, and other software as well. Vista, Windows 7, and Widows 8 have all been released within half of the life cycle of Windows XP, and are already scheduled to have much shorter life cycles.

The fact of the matter is, today, companies have choices, unlike 5-10+ years ago. Now is the time to start reviewing various opinions from both in-house and outside resources if you have not already to evaluate and plan the best needs for the organization.