However, within the next year, Microsoft will cease to support its longest ever supported operating system (over 12 years). Microsoft has recently released a statement inviting companies to take a leap towards Windows 8 and Office 2013.
As such, it is important for companies to begin the process of transitioning into a more secure operating system as quickly and smoothly as possible. Newer operating systems offer a much more efficient alternative for businesses. Over the past decade, these operating systems have considerably improved the ease of use by employees and IT managers, increasing companies’ productivity. They also have the important advantage of being supported by Microsoft, such as the one Windows 7 or 8 has over Windows XP.
But what do we really mean by saying that an operating system is supported by Microsoft? Well, it basically means that your business will miss out on important updates to its security systems leaving your company unprotected against new threats and threatening its productivity and the company's and employees' sensitive information.
In addition, Windows 8 has an easy-to-use “User Access Control” feature that allows you to control user access and to determine who gets to be a system administrator. In the short term, you will still be able to run Microsoft XP applications as Windows 8 tricks your system into believing that the operating system is still Microsoft XP. However, any newly designed Windows 8 application and will require the newer operating system to be installed.
Some of the benefits that Windows 8 offer include a much faster system than Windows XP which can in turn maximize productivity and allow for more high-end programs to run smoothly, if we consider that these programs are problematic when they run on older operating systems. Windows 8 has a much quicker power-off speed than any Windows XP machine.
By upgrading to the newer operating systems you will not only protect your company and your employees, but you will also boost productivity. Microsoft’s early announcement of such a decision is actually meant to assist companies begin and successfully complete the transition process with minimal interruption to businesses.