Windows XP rather amazing life-span is now drawing to a close. Leaving those business users still using it having to consider their next options.
Computer Weekly takes a look at the options for XP users.
Should they outsource the entire support function to one of the big IT services firms, such as Capgemini or Accenture? If they start to migrate to Windows 7 or Windows 8 now – and this process takes 18 months or so – how should CIOs secure XP in the meantime? Are there routes via hosted virtualisation to lock down XP at the back end and provide a secure user front end? Or should we all just pay Microsoft the $200 per desktop per year for ongoing additional support?
Where a company can migrate to more modern, supported, OS (either from Microsoft or elsewhere) this is usually the best answer. However some organisations have business-critical software which only runs Windows XP, with no updates available.
For these, some kind of virtualisation is the option. Moving employees over to Windows 7 (or A N Other OS) and virtualising the critical apps that only run on Windows XP provides a secure way of keeping the applications running, without putting the whole network at risk.
Article link: Failure to migrate from Windows XP could torpedo your business
