What does this mean for your business?
Without Microsoft’s security updates, hotfixes and support, systems that are currently running Windows 2000 or Windows XP SP2 will be more susceptible to exploits, vulnerable to malware attacks, and a perfect target for hackers and cyber criminals. This poses a significant problem especially for those businesses that are required to meet specific security standards, such as HIPAA, PCI, and ISO, as these systems are NOT deemed compliant if they are not actively being updated.
What should your business do?
Due to the lack of, or limited access to, support for these products, Microsoft recommends users to upgrade to one of their more current products, such as Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008, which provide greater security, reliability, environment-friendly features and additional other benefits. Since this may not be a viable option for many businesses to implement at this time, Microsoft does offer a Custom Support feature for users to purchase who absolutely need additional support. However, in order to obtain this, users are required to have a migration plan in place prior to purchasing. More information and details on what specifically Microsoft offers with their Custom Support can be found at Microsoft Support.
If you need assistance on upgrading and implementing new Microsoft products onto your network, or if you would like information on how 3D can provide your business with network solutions that meet your needs, please visit us at http://www.3dcorp.us/, call (360) 671-4906, or email info@3dcorp.us.
References: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifean46
Please note: As we have been receiving some questions since we published this post about whether or not Windows XP will continue to be supported by Microsoft, we thought we'd clarify that Microsoft is ending support for Windows XP Service Pack 2, not the Windows XP operating system as a whole. The most up-to-date service pack available for Windows XP is Service Pack 3. Generally speaking, this article is stating that if your copy of Windows XP is up-to-date with Service Pack 3, you have nothing to worry about. If it is out-of-date, you should update it or have us update it for your business. Please see the "Comments" section of this post for additional details.
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I'm confused, last I heard I thought they were continuing support for Windows XP. Do you know what made them change their minds?
ReplyDeleteMicrosoft initiated the right security enhancements in Windows 2000 pack. It gives you more enhancement features for safety. However, it gives more superior capabilities which restricts unauthorized view.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteThe article mentions that Microsoft is discontinuing support of Windows 2000 and Windows XP Service Pack 2, not the Windows XP operating system as a whole. The most up to date service pack available for Windows XP is Service Pack 3. Generally speaking, the article is stating that if your copy of Windows XP is up-to-date, you have nothing to worry about. If it is out of date, you should get it updated.
There is a simple way to find whether or not you have Service Pack 3 installed:
• Click the “Start Button”
• Right click on “My Computer” and select “Properties”
• When the screen pops up, there should be a section named “System”
• Under System, you should see a listing that looks like this:
Windows XP Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 3
If Service Pack 2 (or Service Pack 1, or no mention of a service pack) is listed there instead of Service Pack 3, your computer will no longer be supported by Microsoft unless you update. As long as your computer contains a genuine copy of Windows, the update process can be performed to get you to a level that is supported.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
Hi "windows xp,"
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. The most recently–released security updates for Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Professional may adequately protect users and businesses from exploits at this time; however, as attackers continue to rapidly develop new security threats over time, no new security updates will be released for the product to protect Windows 2000 users accordingly. Additionally, as it is now public knowledge that Windows 2000 will no longer receive support after this most recent security update, Windows 2000 users will become an even larger target for attackers who know that it’s only a matter of time before security for Windows 2000 will become out-of-date and no longer protect users from newly-developed threats. For these reasons, we strongly urge Windows 2000 users to update to one of Microsoft’s more current products to ensure continued security, safety and support.