Say farewell to Windows XP and Office 2003 Microsoft Support April 8th 2014

I wanted to share a newsletter I read online from Bytes Computer & Network Solutions.  Wow!  It is scary as a blogger to think that Windows XP and Office 2003 Microsoft support is coming to an end!

Are you ready?  Please take a moment to read what Bytes Computer & Network Solutions had to share about this potential risk to your computer for attacks, viruses and exploits.

"We just wanted to remind you that support is ending for Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003 on April 8th, 2014. Microsoft is no longer extending support for these products. This will be a very serious security vulnerability if you continue using these products after April 8th. Some of you may have questions about this, so allow us to answer some of the general ones.

WHY?

In 2002, based on customer feedback, Microsoft introduced its Support Lifecycle Policy to create more transparency and a predictability of support for Microsoft products. Per this policy, Microsoft Business and Developer products, including Windows and Office, receive a minimum of 10 years of support (5 years Mainstream Support and 5 years Extended Support), at the supported service pack level. Thus, Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will go out of support on April 8, 2014.

What does this mean for me?

It means you should take action. After April 8, 2014, there will be no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.

Running Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may expose your company or computers to potential risks, such as:

• ​Security & Compliance Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks. This may result more virus infections, vulnerabilities and leaving your operating systems more open to cyber criminals. Also you are more likely to have compatibility issues with new software or third party support from these software companies.

• Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Hardware Manufacturers support: A recent industry report from Gartner Research suggests "many independent software vendors are unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP in the future, it will become common." And it may stifle access to hardware innovation: Gartner Research further notes that in the future, most PC hardware manufacturers will stop supporting Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models.

Get current with Windows and Office. This option has upside well beyond keeping you supported. It offers more flexibility to empower employees to be more productive and increases operational efficiency through improved PC security and management. It also enables you to take advantage of latest technology trends such as virtualization and the cloud.

How can I avoid a problem?

We at Bytes are stocking extra Refurbished computers and Office Installations in preparation for this event. We also, as always, offer new computers. We encourage you as our customers to contact us if you have outdated versions of Windows or Office so that we can support your needs in upgrading. Just give us a call and we can assist you with your installations and you can continue to have guaranteed support.

If you decide not to upgrade immediately, we understand. However, we encourage our partners that this is something everyone should do if you have either of the outdated products. We cannot continue to guarantee our support on Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 after April 8th, 2014.

Please feel free to give us a call with any questions or concerns you may have. We will be more than happy to assist you further. We just want to keep our partners in the know concerning your support needs."

I have personally used Bytes Computer & Network Solutions and have been very happy with their service.

Their contact information is:

Bytes Computer & Network Solutions
1712 Ave. B
Scottsbluff,NE 69361

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I can't wait to share a little bit about Bytes Computer & Network Solutions PC Complete Care on a different post.

Good Luck everyone with this technology transition.