With the turn of the new year, Microsoft is releasing a new version of Windows, which means ending support for some of its older predecessors. For those running some older versions of the operating system, that means that it’s time for an upgrade.

Staying supported matters

Why does it matter whether or not your operating system is supported? Well, being “under support” means that when new updates and patches become available, you’re going to get them because you’re covered under the developers’ support agreement. That might not seem like a big deal, but trust us, it is. Developers release updates not only to introduce new features (which hopefully make your life easier), but more importantly, they use these updates as a vessel to push out important security patches.

Basically, if your OS is supported, that means you’re able to receive updates, some of which could be critical to keeping your data safe. If it’s not supported, that means that Microsoft is no longer developing updates for your system, which poses a risk to your security.

For our fully-managed clients, upgrades are on the way.

When Microsoft releases a new version and retires support for the older ones, we get to work in the background, checking which of our client’s devices will be affected by this change. We’ll be rolling out upgrades to all of our fully-managed clients who are currently running versions that will be coming out of support.

If this is you, we’ll give you a heads up in advance of installing the new version. We’re scheduling upgrades outside of business hours, so you won’t have to worry about sacraficing a big chunk of your workday. Once we’ve alerted you that your update is scheduled, all you need to do is make sure your computer is left on and connected to power, then give yourself about 15 minutes the before you need to start work the next day to restart your computer – We’ll take care of the rest.

Not a fully-managed client, but need an update?

No problem – Check out Microsoft’s instructions on how to upgrade your operation system for yourself. But remember, the process will take some time, so make sure not to do it when you’re closing in on a deadline or big meeting.