Windows 7: Dead or alive?
Summary
Along with the obvious security concerns, Gunning said organisations looking to prioritise moving their older PCs over to Windows 10 should also take into account the lost work time and support required to keep ageing desktop IT infrastructure operating. “It is integrated with cloud service, which is essential if small and mid-size businesses want to meet the requirements of a growing workforce.” Users themselves have higher expectations of the IT they use at work, said Gunning. While Windows 10 can work on older systems, such PCs represent a potential security hole.” This is because of issues such as the Spectre and Meltdown chip flaws that affected PC processors in 2018. But, as Computer Weekly has reported, there have been supply chain issues affecting Intel processors, which has meant IT departments wanting to buy new Windows 10 PCs to replace hardware that may be five or more years old have faced difficulties getting their orders fulfilled. The change in desktop management strategy implicit in the Windows 7 to 10 upgrade also means organisations will need to continuously update their systems as part of Microsoft’s new “Windows as a service” model, according to Jon O’Connor, solution architect at Kollective.