Microsoft warns business users to upgrade from "long-outdated" Windows 7

midian182

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Microsoft may have stopped using bullying tactics to get people upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10, but the company is still encouraging everyone to make the move. A new post from Microsoft Germany warns that the older OS is no longer “fit” to be used in businesses, mainly due to its “long-outdated security architectures.”

Markus Nitschke, Head of Windows at Microsoft Germany, wrote: “Today, [Windows 7] does not meet the requirements of modern technology, nor the high security requirements of IT departments.”

Nitschke suggested that Windows 7 users “transition to a modern operating system in time.” The Register notes that this is a reference to when Microsoft will no longer support the OS – January 14, 2020 – at which time there will be no more security updates or technical support.

The posts states that corporate customers who don’t make the transition within the next three years face enormous dangers. There are also warnings over Windows 7’s “higher operating costs" resulting from security issues that Windows 10 could deal with, as well as its reliability and compatibility problems.

The Redmond firm may want to push everyone onto Windows 10, but Windows 7 remains the world’s most popular desktop/laptop operating system, holding a 48.34 percent share of the market. It’s especially popular withing the enterprise sector, which could be why the post specifically targets businesses.

Windows 10 was released on July 29, 2015. Six months later, it moved ahead of Windows XP and Windows 8.1 to become the second most-used OS. It now has a 24.36 percent market share, which is almost half of what Windows 7 boasts.

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If updates for windows 10 were as stable as those provided for Windows 7, M$ might be more successful at convincing businesses to upgrade to 10. However, I would not be surprised if M$ just wants the revenue that would be generated by this upgrade as the upgrade, if you can actually call it that, is not free for business users.

I think it is a poor sales pitch that M$ is touting enhanced security when 10's updates might make the computers of a business unusable for extended periods of time - much like what happened in the days of Windows NT and 3.1.

A colleague of mine upgraded to 10 because he wanted to test our software on 10 as well as develop on the platform. Since he upgraded, there have been at least two times where updates brought his PC down for multiple days. It is not his hardware as his PC is new within the past year.

I, too, have had multiple updates to 10 that have broken something.

My comment to M$: Get your act together. Stop breaking PCs with poorly, if at all, tested updates.
 
MS inst going to convince any business with the dumpster fire that is 10. Having no QA team is a great way to convince businesses to avoid you at all costs. data leaking is another concern, especially for HIPPA based clients.

With all the old IE apps being slowly moved to simpler web based apps, the need for windows is shrinking. It wouldnt surprise me to see more businesses move away from windows if their push first fix later attitude continues.
 
MS inst going to convince any business with the dumpster fire that is 10. Having no QA team is a great way to convince businesses to avoid you at all costs. data leaking is another concern, especially for HIPPA based clients.

With all the old IE apps being slowly moved to simpler web based apps, the need for windows is shrinking. It wouldnt surprise me to see more businesses move away from windows if their push first fix later attitude continues.

Yes, perfect sense, because no real business relies on Microsoft's back-end infrastructure? A companies investment in Microsoft is MUCH deeper than the Windows desktop operating system. Easier said than done.
 
"Microsoft may have stopped using bullying tactics to get people upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10..."
Well if hyperbolic "warnings" and low-level coercion are classed as "bullying tactics", then no they haven't stopped...

It now has a 24.36 percent market share, which is almost half of what Windows 7 boasts.
^ Still it's good that +75% of the market can see straight through their fear-mongering BS. As with the enduring popularity of Office 2003/2010, there is a reason for staying put that the Grand-Master Of Manufactured Obsolescence really doesn't want to hear...
 
So now that Microsoft has realised that the bullying tactics are no longer working, they're moving on to scare tactics? Have they ever considered going into government?

Did you read the article? Maybe Microsoft doesn't want a repeat of what happened with XP. Maybe Microsoft would rather have people upgrade so they don't have to waste resources on an insecure OS just because people can't be bothered to upgrade?

I can only assume those are the deciding factors based on what has happened in the past and the rampant number of security breaches we read about almost monthly if not weekly, but to think every company is out to do their customers wrong without proof is just... wrong.
 
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We've got a variety of different OSs in BT. We only let users install 7 and 8.1 on their workstations, individuals can also install Linux but can't connect them to our intranet. There are also old pcs still floating around with XP on them.
I'm trialling Windows 10 on mine.

We have custom variations of Windows distributed due to the high level of security.
 
Pfff... not buying it M$. We have about 370 user workstations on our network, most are desktops and laptops running Windows 7. Then 25 of that 370 are Surface tablets running Windows 10. I've had more OS related issues with Windows 10, and I've also had malware attacks. Proportionately, it doesn't seem Windows 10 is any more "secure" and "safe". Granted this is a small base but it is still a reasonable assertion. Not to mention the time I've spent re-imaging machines or fixing problems caused by crap Windows 10 updates.
 
The move I've used windows 10 the less I like it. Implementing it in our environment has been an absolute headache. Updates has caused issues multiple times now. Default apps getting reset among other simple things that I shouldn't have to waste my time on in the first place. Just waiting until the M$ updates for windows 7 slowly break down the machine and it makes 10 finally look good.
 
OS security can't fix user stupidity. I should know I've been there on the stupidity line enough times.

For what I've seen, there are two types of security for operating system. You have one type where the operating system prevents the users from doing something stupid, like iOS. This never seems to work. You then have operating system like Linux that are just straight up secure by design instead of taking the easy route and restricting what the user can do.
 
I still use windows 7 it has almost 3 years since install and still works perfect, I also had windows 10 for a few months and I liked most of its features, the only thing bothering me was the search from start menu. It's instant on windows 7 whereas windows 10 is very slow and I use it quite a lot. I will consider upgrading when there are at least 15 DX12 only good games at good prices.
 
Pfff... not buying it M$. We have about 370 user workstations on our network, most are desktops and laptops running Windows 7. Then 25 of that 370 are Surface tablets running Windows 10. I've had more OS related issues with Windows 10, and I've also had malware attacks. Proportionately, it doesn't seem Windows 10 is any more "secure" and "safe". Granted this is a small base but it is still a reasonable assertion. Not to mention the time I've spent re-imaging machines or fixing problems caused by crap Windows 10 updates.
This has been our experience as well. The laughable "lower operating costs" claimed in the article is the exact opposite in real life. Install a static Win7 SP1 image and you know what you're getting. Whatever settings you set actually "stick". If a KB*** update plays up, it can be removed (or prevented from installing in the first place). Things won't change every 9-12 months, and that so called "but it's 10 years old" weakness is precisely its strength (maturity, stability, predictability, etc).

Install Windows 10, and every single major update (November, Anniversary, Creators, etc) both screws something up, and requires a new security / data privacy audit and Group Policy verification. Several privacy settings (especially Cortana related) that were previously unticked have been observed to "magically" re-tick themselves after a major update.

For consumers (Home & Pro) post Anniversary Edition, overall control of the OS gets further weakened. Eg, the ability to use Group Policy to disable Windows Store and UWP, to enforce a specific lock screen, or to "Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences" (which prevents cr*pware like Candy Crush being installed) have been removed even from the Pro edition. That's not "enhancing" security, it's making it weaker by design, as it literally enforces a back-channel for remote app installation that can't be disabled (effectively making any claims of "superior security" an utter laughing stock).
 
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