Dive Brief:
- Microsoft says Windows 7 is unsecure and enterprises should migrate to Windows 10 as soon as possible.
- Windows 7 "does not meet the requirements of modern technology, nor the high security requirements of IT departments," said Markus Nitschke, head of Windows at Microsoft Germany in a blog.
- Extended support for Windows 7 — including security support — will end on January 14, 2020. Microsoft moved Windows 7 to extended support back in 2015.
Dive Insight:
Microsoft says Windows 7 is antiquated and customers that chose to stick with it will pay the price fixing any number of security issues that they wouldn’t face if they upgraded to Windows 10.
Microsoft recognizes upgrading an entire enterprise system is challenging, so it’s pushing customers to start preparing for the inevitable now. It also comes at a time when migration to Windows 10 has slowed.
Implementation cooled after the free upgrade offer lapsed last summer, so Microsoft may be looking for ways to get it moving again. Microsoft’s original goal was to have Windows 10 running on 1 billion monthly active devices by 2018, a goal it said it now won’t meet in part because of the decline of its phone business.
In August, a survey of IT professionals by Adaptiva found 64% of respondents expect to migrate to Windows 10 within the next year. Companies ranked the new security features of Windows 10 as a key driver for migration.
