Time to Think About Your Move to Windows 7

Today is Windows 7 first birthday. Happy Birthday Winny Seven!

I know it seems much longer but really it was only released to retail on October 22, 2009. The power of hype.

People are dreading the day they have to give up their trusted Windows XP. Even with the many security flaws, XP has been Microsoft's most popular operating system and subjectively the most reliable.

But, XP is getting old. It was released October 25, 2001 -- nine years ago. April 8, 2014 is the last day Microsoft will provide security updates for Windows XP -- less than four years from now. Which means, other companies who create software will stop supporting installations on Windows XP before the 2014 deadline.

Every business buys new computer equipment from time-to-time. Windows 7 comes pre-installed on new computers which means you will end up with a mixed environment. Some old, some new machines, different operating systems and different software versions.

Rather than managing IT day-to-day, problem-to-problem, I strongly recommend having an IT plan. In the long run, it will cost you less to run your IT if you have a plan.

Few companies can purchase all new hardware, software and operating systems so you have to upgrade when you can. If you purchase a computer that fits in an overall strategy you can avoid incompatible systems and by having similar equipment, the maintenance cost and complexity can be reduced.

The question you have to ask yourself: are you going to have a bigger mess next year at this time or will you have better managed IT investments?

You cannot hold on to Windows XP forever. Give it some thought today.