Windows 7 Inside Last Extended Support Year
Monday was the 14th of January. When the next year comes and goes, that’s the end for Windows 7. That puts Windows 7 inside last extended support year, as this snippet from the Windows lifecycle fact sheet shows. Of course, if history is any guide, a certain cadre of desperate organizations will decide to pay MS for ongoing support thereafter. That’s what happened when Windows XP finally hit the same expiration date. And who was among the biggest buyers of said support? Uncle Sam, that’s who (especially for some military systems).
Not bad for an OS that made its debut on 2/22/2011. Nevertheless, the end (of extended support) draws near!
[Click image to see full-sized view.]
Put Windows 7 Inside Last Extended Support Year, Then What?
Good question. This certainly puts the heat on efforts to migrate from Windows 7. But I find myself wondering how seriously some businesses take this deadline. I’ve visited certain small retail outlets, medical businesses, even some shipping and freight companies, and more, in the past quarter. All are still running Windows 7. When I ask them if they plan to upgrade soon, answers vary from “IT’s working on it” to “Who knows?” This could be a serious business opportunity for IT shops with outside sales staff who can wander around town. When they find a shop running Windows 7, they can show them the lifecycle fact sheet. Or this blog post. Hopefully, it might spur some action.
MS provides custom support beyond the extended support date only under contract, customer by customer. If memory serves, such contracts are neither cheap nor terribly easy to set up or administer. Though the Feds and the military can think about such things, it’s outside the budget and grasp for most smaller organizations. Some of those small business owners might be interested in hearing about that, too. Time’s a wastin’!