14 DAY TRIAL // Windows XP reached end of support on April 8, 2014, and everyone was urged to upgrade to Windows 7, 8.1, and now 10 because of the obvious security risks created by the lack of updates and security patches.
There were organizations across the world that didn’t have the resources to ensure a large-scale upgrade to a supported version of Windows, but today, some continue to run Windows XP without even a target date for the upgrade.
And according to information provided by software firm Citrix following a Freedom of Information request sent to the NHS, no less than 9 out of 10 systems used by NHS trusts in the United Kingdom are powered by Windows XP.
“Upgrades already being discussed”
Citrix submitted FOI requests to 63 NHS Trusts and 42 of them responded already, with more than half admitting that they don’t know when their computers are supposed to be upgraded to a newer operating system. 14 percent of the respondents said systems would switch to a supported version of Windows by the end of the year, while 29 percent claimed the target is 2017.
The Department of Health said earlier this year that it was working with NHS Trusts to upgrade to supported versions of Windows, but by the looks of things, nothing has changed since then and most computers continue running an unsupported operating system that could expose data to security risks.
“In April 2014, the Department of Health and the Cabinet Office wrote to all NHS trusts stressing the urgent need for them to move away from Windows XP, and offering transition funding,” the statement revealed. “The National Data Guardian, Dame Fiona Caldicott, has made clear the need for health and care organizations to remove unsupported operating systems.”
For what it’s worth, Windows XP is now 15 years old, and since its debut, Microsoft launched Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. So there are plenty of choices when it comes to choosing an operating system to upgrade to.