Windows 7 and Server 2008 will lose support 1/14/20. What does this mean and why should you care? It means that in January of 2020 Windows 7 and Server 2008 will become more and more vulnerable to threats on the Internet. Microsoft will not release any further security updates, so any new vulnerabilities that are found will simply go unpatched leaving open doors for hackers, new viruses and other malware to attack the machine.

Anti-virus vendors will slow down their support for Windows 7 as well meaning the threat to your network will grow faster than ever. The risk will become impossible to mitigate without replacing or upgrading the system.

Here is a scenario, your company is running Windows Server 2008 and receives email for the company. It also works double duty for file and print sharing. This is a very common setup for Microsoft SBS 2011 based system. The fact that the machine is “listening” to the Internet for incoming email puts it in a pretty high risk category even with a good firewall guarding your network. A much simpler scenario would be an office worker doing research on the internet while using Windows 7. Both scenarios are unique but present the same hazard and can be equally devastating. Both machines would be prone to a virus infection even with appropriate anti-virus installed.

So, how can you tell if you have one of these vulnerable systems? If you hold down the “Windows” key on the keyboard ( between the CTRL and ALT ) and tap “R” you’ll see a dialog box. In that box type “winver” ( without quotes ) and press enter. A small program will open stating what version of Windows is running. If you see anything other than “Windows 8.1” or “Windows 10”, then you are probably in the high risk group and need to replace or upgrade your computer.

Note that this isn’t something that should be taken lightly. It could mean the difference between a great year in 2020 or seeing a business completely fail due to a major infection that wipes out financial data.

If you have any questions or concerns about the risks, please let us know. We would be glad to help you out and find the best solution for you.