What does the end of Windows XP mean for you?

Support for Windows XP comes to an end on April 8th of this year. What does this mean for the security of the 29% of Windows users or, perhaps more worryingly, the 95% of cash machines still running the OS?

Microsoft has promised to continue to provide malware warnings until July 2015 to help customers migrate to a new OS, but won't be providing updates or patches for any viruses found. This means once hackers find a way in, there's no one to kick them out and fix up the hole. And so users are left with an unenviable choice:  keep running XP and expose your company to a host of new security threats, or make the migration to a new operating system.

For a consumer, migrating to a new OS is generally fairly simple and inexpensive. You could buy a new machine or, if you'd rather, you could just upgrade the software on your existing machine. Organisations, however, don't just have one machine to think about. They can have hundreds of machines, hosting multiple applications that are critical to the running of the business. Transferring these applications to a new OS, whilst avoiding compatibility and performance issues, is not always an easy task.

When Windows Vista first launched, about 1 in 5 XP applications were found to be incompatible with the newer OS, and simply would not run. Compatibility issues between operating systems are common and difficult to manage. Unfortunately, in most cases the cost of buying all new hardware is prohibitively high, and so the migration process becomes unavoidable.

If time and budget allows, updating your OS may be an opportune time to re-evaluate your desktop model. Centralising desktops through a virtualised or hybrid infrastructure greatly increases control over data security and availability, and will essentially make any future migrations much easier. It is a major transformation though, involving financial investment as well as considerable planning, so it won't be suitable in every case.

If cost is a big factor in determining which route you take to migrate your systems, it is possible to extend the lifespan of old hardware by installing an open source operating system like Ubuntu . The system requirements of an open source OS are far less performance-intensive and draining on your machines than a standard Windows system, but can be more complex to manage. They require a certain level of expertise to implement successfully.

If neither of the above options is viable and you have to take the plunge and upgrade your OS, there are consultants who can advise on the most appropriate route to take to avoid disruption. It is possible to manage the migration in-house if your team has the necessary skills and experience but if you want to share the responsibility, an external specialist can help to manage the process, as well as control maintenance and licensing costs.

Whichever route you take, take it soon. XP will quickly become the only house on the street without a lock on the door.

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