Yes, we keep banging on about it but we realised that while the news is full of the potential horrors lurking around the corner for people who continue to run Windows 7, there’s no real information on how to go about upgrading and what it costs.
Why you should stop using it
Windows 7 will not stop working, but it will no longer receive any updates. It’s hard to see the dangers of this unless you understand the world of malware. Here’s a quick run down:
On the second Tuesday of each month, Microsoft releases security patches for it’s operating systems. The underground world of malware writers and hackers analyse these updates to find flaws and holes that they could exploit.
Windows 7 no longer gets updates. Not a single one. How many Tuesdays do you want to leave it? It is estimated that there are still hundreds of millions of Windows 7 users. This makes it a very real, very easy target. Don’t risk it. Especially if you’re a business.
What you should do
Upgrade to Windows 10! Yes, we know it’s very different to Windows 7 and goes some way to explain why so many people are lingering on a risky system. Trust us, you get used to it very quickly. It’s actually a lot better… Yes. We said it.
An upgrade is quick and easy to do and SYS3 can provide the upgrade licence for you. If you want a quick quote to upgrade, CONTACT US.
If you can’t upgrade yet there are a number of defensive measures you can take to try and reduce your vulnerability:
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Keep all other software and applications up-to-date and patched
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Use a secure browser and only visit recognised sites (Chrome will be supported on Windows 7 machines for 18 months)
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Run good, tested antivirus software and consider added security. More info.
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Backup data on an external hard drive and/or to a cloud backup service. More info.
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Be VERY cautious with email and any attachments/links you receive.
Please recognise that these measures are defensive and while they somewhat mitigate the risk, the longer you run an out of date operating system, the less they will protect you.
VERY IMPORTANT: There are a lot of people claiming that you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free. You used to be able to. It was an incentive by Microsoft to get people to adopt their new system. That offer expired on 29th July 2016. While Microsoft may have dropped a preverbial and left the option on some systems, upgrading without a valid licence is illegal.
Contact us today to discuss an upgrade
