The Impending Windows 7 Security Apocalypse

What You Can Do to Protect Your Company

On January 14th, 2020, Microsoft is ending their support of Windows 7 and if your company doesn’t take the right steps, you’ll be leaving yourself open to hackers.

Microsoft cutting Windows 7 off leaves opens the door to your company’s sensitive information to hackers who are always looking to take some of your hard-earned money. Here is what you need to do to ensure your company remains protected after Windows 7 support comes to an end and why you should care in the first place.

Windows 7 is Losing Microsoft’s Support: why it matters for your company

Hackers are clever. Way too clever for your company to be idle in your protection against them. For every security tech over at Microsoft, there are thousands of hackers searching for exploits in their programs. This is most true for Microsoft’s operating systems, like Windows 7. 

Operating systems are the foundation of any computer network. Meaning that your operating system’s security is paramount in ensuring your company’s files do not get into any one else’s hands but your own.

To ensure the security of Windows 7, Microsoft needs to develop regular security updates. Since 2015, Windows 7 has been in ‘extended support’ phase, meaning that new features were no longer being added but security and support patches were still regularly released. On January 14th of 2020, Microsoft will discontinue developing these regular security updates. This opens a door to hackers and could spell very bad news for your company’s security.

When Microsoft stops updating Windows 7, any exploits hackers find in the software DO NOT get fixed. Over time these security holes build up, reducing the previously rigid wall of security to rubble as more and more exploits are inevitably discovered.

Microsoft discontinuing support for Windows 7 means other software developers discontinue support as well. That means the software that scans your computer for viruses. Your financial software that hold sensitive information about your clients and your employees. Even your bookings and scheduling systems. All of these become more susceptible to hackers as their developers begin to pull resources away from windows 7 functionality.

All of this combined means that after the January 2020 deadline, your Windows 7 computers will continue to operate normally on the surface. But as times goes on, hackers and scammers will find more and more exploits in not only your operating system, but also all of the software that are no longer being actively maintained for Windows 7. Quietly, exploits will build up until one day, your company’s security is reduced so much that any hacker with 20 minutes and a cup of coffee will be able to get into your system.

This is no doubt NOT what you want for your company’s sensitive information. So, what can you do to avoid a fate of rampant computer piracy?

How Do I Protect My Company?

The only way your company can protect itself from the myriad of impending security risks with Windows 7 is to upgrade.

If your company’s computers are running on Windows 7, upgrading to Windows 10 is the only option if you want to stay protected against online threats. Microsoft will continue to perform security updates on Windows 10 for years to come.

Upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7 is an easy and fairly intuitive process. This is because both operating systems were designed by Microsoft, which means upgrading is a straightforward process where-in, generally, you can keep all the files already present on your PC. Additionally, most software you’re currently using on your Windows 7 PC will work with Windows 10 and in most cases just require a quick, automatic update.

In combination with other healthy data habits, updating to Windows 10 will help ensure that your sensitive data remains safe for the long hall.

There is no way to avoid the importance of this switch when it comes to the security of your company’s safety from hackers.

Your Next Step.

Updating your company’s equipment to Windows 10 may be just the start of the digital renovations you can employ to beef up your company’s security against hackers. Speaking to an experienced IT professional like Tech Masters, might be your next to protecting your data and your time from fixing crashed systems.