Windows 7 Support Ends January 14, 2020
Windows 7 is due to reach End Of Life (EOL) on 14 January 2020, but a large number of the world’s computers, most in corporate environments, are still running the nine-year-old system.
Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 7 in January 2015, with extended support running till 14 January 2020. Businesses which fail to migrate in time will be saddled with high fees for further support from Microsoft.
This End of Life means no more bug-fixes, security patches or new functionality, making any user – personal or enterprise – significantly more susceptible to malware attacks. Just as it did with Windows XP, Microsoft will continue to offer support for those Windows 7 users still reluctant to upgrade to its Windows 10 OS, but it’ll cost you.
However, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from using Windows 7 even after its End of Life. But you should know that using an outdated operating system makes your computer vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Windows 7 was the version of Windows most widely affected by WannaCry in 2017. Without patches, Windows 7 is still vulnerable to the recently disclosed BlueKeep bug and several other flaws that Microsoft patched in August.
Millions of Workstations Still Running on Windows 7
With just a couple of months left until Microsoft stops issuing free patches for Windows 7, millions of workstations are still running the OS, leaving them exposed to vulnerabilities.
According to Kaspersky research, “40% of very small businesses (VSBs) and 48% of small, medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprises still rely on unsupported or approaching EOS operating systems for their security needs.”
The reasons behind the slow updating process for Windows 7 PCs vary depending on the software in place, which may be unable to run on the newest OS versions, or depending on the Windows 10 minimum hardware requirements. Run our Windows 10 Readiness Audit to check if the PCs in your network can handle Windows 10.
Preparing for Windows 7 End of Life
How to prepare for Windows 7 end of life? With Windows 7 EOL coming up, we’ve created an Audit Report which provides an overview of all workstations and if they are closing on EOL. Assets that are nearing their EOL are marked orange. Assets past their EOL are marked red. All other assets are marked green. For Windows 7 (SP1) assets, the number of days remaining until EOL is also displayed.
How Big is the Security Threat?
