XP Support to end in April 2014
- Anthony Trinh
- Apr 18, 2013
- 2 min read
Windows XP, an operating system that had diverged its way around an evolving technological world, will officially stop being supported by Microsoft on April 8, 2014. With over 12 years of being arguably one of the most successful operating systems, Windows XP will no longer have additional security updates or other patches.
According to NetMarketShare, the 2013 figure (left) reveals that Windows XP has a total market share of 38.73%, just 6% lower than Windows 7. Last year in the 2012 figure (right), NetMarketShare revealed that Windows XP dominated the total market share with 43.74%. These figures show that users are increasingly shifting towards a newer operating system, which could essentially be the reason for Microsoft’s bold move. Despite a change in total market share, a large portion of users are still operating with Windows XP.
Why is this important?
Windows XP is the second most used Windows operating system today which means that if security updates and other patches are no longer supported, there will potentially be a significant number of users that would be affected with security issues on their computers. Similar to what happened with Windows 98 and Windows 2000, computers with Windows XP will continue to work as normal but in Microsoft’s words, will operate “at your own risk” with the issues of security vulnerability and potential malware to users.
What can I do if my computer is operating with Windows XP?
Personally like many of you, all of my documents and files are stored on one computer. This increases the importance of having the highest quality security on a computer.
A popular solution to prevent the threat of suspicious software or viruses to a network and to manage Internet access control is BrowseControl. BrowseControl is a high quality software program that will prevent security vulnerability and potential malware that may arise by operating with Windows XP. January 30 of this year we saw an updated version of BrowseControl with the new Category Filtering add-on. So even though Windows XP is no longer supported with updates, BrowseControl will be.
Another feature CurrentWare offers is AccessPatrol. Despite high security software that may have installed, it is essential to be protected from data theft, system infections and threat of networks. Without security support for Windows XP, there will be an increasing amount of online fraud, theft and hackers. AccessPatrol prevents these issues by allowing users to control endpoint devices and manage their security levels.
Having a secured computer can never be overdone and should always be managed carefully. Whether security updates are supported or not, you should always be responsible for manually securing your computer. By using high quality software that updates itself frequently, your computer should be safe regardless of a supported or an unsupported operating system.
For more tips on protecting your accounts and internet security, check out 6 Tips for Protecting your Email Account and Small Business Internet Security Tips.
Original link to blog post [here]
コメント