14 DAY TRIAL // It’s no secret that Microsoft wants all users to migrate to its brand new Windows 8 operating system, but the company is making serious efforts to convince people that Windows XP is not a secure working environment anymore.
Microsoft will stop releasing hotfixes, updates and patches for Windows XP starting April 8, 2014, so the Redmondians try to remind everybody that moving to a newer OS is a thing we all have to do at some point.
This time, the technology firm rolled out a public recommendation aimed at schools, colleges and universities that are still relying on Windows XP and Office 2003.
“Microsoft plans to end support for Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 in 2014, and that will affect your education institution if you are using this software. On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide hot fixes, product updates, and most critical, security patches for Windows XP and Office 2003,” Microsoft said in a statement.
“This could affect your internal network security and regulatory compliance and potentially expose secure employee and organisational information. That’s why we recommend that your school, college or university updates its operating system.”
Of course, Microsoft didn’t miss the chance to bring Windows 8’s main features in the spotlight, emphasizing that this new OS iteration is one of the most secure in the entire world.
Windows 8 will be unveiled on October 25 in New York and will offer plenty of features aimed at schools and universities, including a dedicated education app category in the Windows Store and several other productivity tools “which are proven to be much safer and also more economical to operate.”