14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 7 will reach end of life on January 14, 2020, and just like it happens when support for a new operating system comes to an end, systems must be upgraded to a newer version to continue getting updates and security patches.
As far as UK authorities are concerned, that’s barely a priority, as 17% of them haven’t even planned the migration to Windows 10.
The figures were provided by Cloudhouse following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request sent to a total of 317 councils in the UK.
App compatibility challenges
Only 1% of the councils actually completed the upgrade to Windows 10, and 40% of those who replied to the request said the inability to move older apps to a newer version of Windows was the main reason they delayed the upgrade.
App compatibility issues were among the biggest drawbacks companies that were running Windows XP had to deal with as well, as transitioning to a newer operating system when support for this version ended required more than just installing another Windows release. Additionally, hardware upgrades were also necessary as part of the Windows XP-to-Windows 7/8.1 transition, though that’s not the case when upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10 given the similar requirements.
Newer hardware, however, is recommended to benefit from all Windows 10 features, including better security systems that can protect data.
No less than 35% of the councils said the migration to a newer Windows version typically takes around two years, which means that they should start the transition to Windows 10 as soon as possible to complete it by the time Windows 7 support comes to an end. On the other hand, 40% said they expect the upgrade to be completed in under a year.
Windows 7 is currently the world’s number one desktop operating system with more than 40% market share, followed by Windows 10 with some 32%. Windows 7, however, has easily survived the Windows 10 offensive, having lost approximately 10% market share after the debut of the latest OS.