14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows XP earlier this year, and since so many companies and consumers were caught unguarded, some decided to purchase custom support and continue receiving updates and security patches for 12 more months.
This means that by next April, pretty much everyone should be running a newer OS version, a thing that would make even more sense in the case of companies paying for extended support.
As shocking as it might sound, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), which already paid millions of pounds to Microsoft to keep their Windows XP machines updated after the April 8 deadline, might not complete the migration to a newer operating system by April 2015, which means that extending its deal with the software giant would be the only choice.
A report published by TechRepublic highlights the findings of a study conducted in the United Kingdom by virtualization technologies provider Citrix, which has found that 14 percent of 35 trusts still on XP believe that the migration to a more secure platform won’t be completed in time for the new deadline.
Additional security measures also considered
At this point, it would seem logical for the NHS to extend their deal with Microsoft and keep Windows XP computers updated, but local authorities are also considering additional security measures that could keep all these machines on the safe side without patches.
Of course, there are ways to keep a Windows XP system secure without patches, but there’s no doubt that an organization the size of NHS, which also works with data belonging to patients across the country, would better purchase extended support to make sure that no leak occurs.
Authorities haven’t yet decided whether they should extend the deal with Microsoft or turn to more security measures, but they still have enough time to make the best choice on this.
XP still the second most used OS worldwide
At this point, Windows XP has a market share of around 23 percent and it remains the second most used operating system worldwide after Windows 7.
Despite Microsoft’s efforts to kill it, there’s no doubt that it would take years until XP disappears completely, especially because organizations and state departments across the world are still relying on it for their daily activities.
Needless to say, this is a serious security threat for data belonging to each and every one of us, so let’s just hope that no big flaw is found in Windows XP before these organizations move to a newer OS.