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The End of Windows XP: What Does it Mean for Your Test System

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Windows XPIt’s official, Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP on April 8th, 2014. This means no more security updates or technical assistance from Microsoft, leaving XP systems vulnerable to security threats such as cyber-attacks, data theft, and viruses. Many companies have concluded that the security threats are significant enough to mandate that Windows XP computers must be removed from their networks after April 8th. Unfortunately, the test and measurement world has been slow to transition from Windows XP and there are still large numbers of systems using it. At Bloomy Controls, we received requests for new test systems running Windows XP even as recently as 2013.

Forrester Research estimates that 20% of North American and European corporate computers are still running Windows XP. But that will soon change: Forrester forecasts that only 6% of those companies' PCs will be running Windows XP by April. However, that number will be considerably higher for test and measurement users that either depend on their equipment uptime for critical manufacturing processes, or are not under the jurisdiction of the corporate IT departments that implement upgrades on most corporate computers. Clearly, after 12 years of faithful service, it’s time for Windows XP to retire, so what are the factors that you need to consider in making the upgrade?

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