Is your Organization Still Running Windows XP & Windows Server 2003?
You may have heard that running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 after Microsoft stopped supporting them is a dangerous idea, but did you understand why it’s so dangerous? We want to explain the major risks that make running unsupported operating systems dangerous so you can make an educated decision for your business.
No More Security Patches or Updates Leaves Your System at Risk
Microsoft releases updates as well as security patches to protect against new holes in the systems security that have been found – once your version of Windows is no longer supported these updates stop for your system.
Here’s why this is more risky than you may think; when Microsoft releases the next patch or update after you are no longer supported, cyber criminals and malicious software developers (Malware, Viruses, Ransomware, etc.) dissect the update and reverse engineer the fix to find the security hole that was patched. The kicker, they know to target machines who may not have installed the latest update or security patch. If you’re on an unsupported operating system, you’ve become an even easier target because that update or patch was not released for your system. Often enough, patches on the latest versions of Windows give hints to vulnerabilities on older software that hadn’t been discovered previously.
These new security patches and updates are essentially providing these individuals with a guidebook of vulnerabilities that can be exploited on unsupported systems or out of date systems. Once they exploit a security hole the victims could experience customer data breaches, system crashes, websites being brought down, and more.
3rd Party Software No Longer Supporting Your Operating System
Outside of the potential security concerns that this can also bring, it may stop working properly on your machine. If you have a new issue pop up, the company who created your software will no longer fix this issue because you are on an obsolete version.
The last thing you need is for critical business functions to go down or to stop working properly with your other technology. Migrations take planning, time, and money – waiting until there is an issue or a metaphorical fire to put out can cost you more in the long run.
Loss of Functionality
As you know, technology is evolving at an alarming rate – just when you think you have the top of the line hardware or software, something new comes out and your new purchase is no longer cutting edge. By no means are we suggesting that you should always have the latest equipment – in fact this is usually not a solid business plan (with few select exceptions in the High Tech Industry).
With that said, software relies on the hardware that is available and vice versa, so falling too far behind can be disadvantageous. Time is money and old technology and software can make daily tasks consume more time than necessary.
No More Security Patches or Updates Leaves Your System at Risk
HIPAA Compliance Concerns
Resources for HIPAA
If HIPAA affects your business then this is more than likely not the first time that you’ve heard that Windows XP will cause you to be non-compliant. However, this is also the case for Windows Server 2003 – not upgrading puts your organization at risk of complaints being filed, audits, fines, and in worst case scenarios, potential criminal charges.
While HIPAA has no verbiage that states Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 are a violation, they do state that “procedures for guarding against, detecting and reporting malicious software” must be in place. As we mentioned above, running an unsupported operating system makes this extremely difficult and not always possible. The most important thing you can do is get educated and avoid costly non-compliance issues.
Customer Data at Risk
Even if HIPAA or other regulations are not a factor there is still a very large risk in your public image. The damage that can occur to your reputation if you lose your customers information to a data breach could be detrimental. While budgeting an upgrade can be a challenge, waiting until there is an issue can end up costing your organization more.
Some of these additional costs could stem from: Poor system migration planning to move off unsupported software, legal actions from customers or Government, increase in maintenance costs due to running older software, and perhaps the most destructive, losing customers from bad PR.
Avoid the risk and migrate to a supported operating system. Need help on planning the migration? Contact Fuse Today!
