Farewell Windows 7!

Business continuity and disaster recovery provider Databarracks has bid farewell to Windows 7 with a Viking funeral. After 10 years, Windows 7 support ends tomorrow, 14th January 2020.

Databarracks’ managing director Peter Groucutt said that when a well-loved operating system reaches end of life, the company likes to mark the occasion. “Five years ago, when Windows Server 2003 was retired we launched it into space. For Windows 7, we opted for a Viking funeral.

“It’s a bit of fun, but there’s a serious message we want to highlight. Staying up to date with operating systems and patching is the simplest and most important security practice to follow. There are countless examples of cyber attacks and breaches that could have been avoided simply by staying on top of important software updates.

“This is a concern for businesses and consumers alike. GCHQ has warned the public not to email or do online banking using Windows 7 PCs. Businesses simply can’t afford to use legacy operating systems. Keeping devices and software up to data is one of the 5 pillars of the NCSC’s Cyber Essentials scheme and is a requirement for the certification.

“Microsoft is offering Extended Security Updates (ESU) to businesses still using Windows 7 through to 2023. This ESU is charged per device and the price will increase each year. This helps but software providers will stop supporting their application on Windows 7, so our recommendation is to update to Windows 10 as quickly as possible.”

Serious fun, business continuity.


Picture courtesy Databarracks

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