Windows 7 Lifecycle – is it time to upgrade?

When it comes to the software and hardware we use as businesses, there’s a lot to be said about sticking with what works.

Many people exhaled a sigh of relief when Microsoft released Windows 7.  This operating system not only addressed the flaws in previous versions, but also allowed for more powerful, secure, and advanced enterprise-level features. So it’s no surprise that many companies and government agencies still want to use it after ten years.

When it comes to data protection, whether on laptops, desktops, or company-wide servers, companies of all sizes find that consistency and familiarity with function are critical to protecting information and ensuring smooth operations.

However, as the number of data breaches has risen in recent years, and as more hackers and corporate spies have developed even more advanced methods of breaching and stealing data, the software industry has reacted by developing more adaptable versions of everything from operating systems like Windows to user-end applications like the Office Suite and Adobe Suite. Cloud-based systems allow faster updates and more reliable activity tracking, resulting in quicker response times to security warnings and issues.

It’s also aided in the process of decommissioning and migrating user-facing hardware and data centers, as newer software is more hardware intensive and necessitates current, faster hardware to keep up with the ever-improving and complex software.

In light of this development and the need for greater security, Microsoft announced that support and updates for Windows 7 was discontinued in January 2020. Across sectors, this news was greeted with a combination of relief, enthusiasm, and sighs of sadness and annoyance. Regardless of our feelings about one of the most robust operating systems Microsoft has ever released, this is a critical time for IT professionals.

Migrations must be planned, hardware must be replaced, and systems must be revitalized and modernized. This can be exhausting and time-consuming, but it also carries a range of risks. This is where ITADs will play a critical role in ensuring a seamless transition and data security for countless organizations across the country.

One of the first moves that businesses will have to take is the safe destruction of data from hard drives that are about to be replaced. The best ITADs in the country will provide a variety of methods to assist businesses…..the first of which is ensuring that all drives can be sanitized at the client’s facility.

Because of the strong economy and growing demand for inexpensive technology, many businesses don’t have to cut their losses on older technology and can now work with a trustworthy ITAD to resell their sanitized equipment.

Decommissioning data centers will be inevitable, but the process doesn’t have to be risky or tedious for the client. ITADs with advanced decommissioning services will be able to sanitize old drives, remove them securely from the client site, and offer affordable replacement options — both to purchase, and what is becoming ever more popular, leasing of up-to-date equipment.

As the saying goes, Windows is dead, long live Windows!