Windows 7 End of Support (EOS) is scheduled for January 2020. Office 2010 EOS is coming October 2020. Find out what risks this poses for your business and what steps you can take to migrate to Windows 10 and Office 365, transforming the way your team works in the process.
What does EOS mean?
Windows 7 was released as long ago as 2009. Since then there have been two major upgrades to the operating system. EOS means Windows 7 will officially enter retirement on January 14, 2020.
After this date Microsoft will no longer issue software updates and security updates, or offer technical support for PCs running Windows 7.
Your Windows 7 PCs will continue to work but may pose a higher security risk with increased exposure to viruses and malware.
Your Windows 7 users should already be seeing pop ups like the one above, reminding them of the approaching End of Support.
How do I move from Windows 7?
If you are still hanging on, now is the time to migrate from Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Your current PCs may able to run Windows 10 if they meet the system requirements, albeit with reduced performance in the case of older machines. Also note that some PCs may fail the upgrade process due to aging hardware. Microsoft does not recommend this course of action.
To take advantage of the latest Windows 10 features, Microsoft recommends moving to new PCs and transferring across profiles, data, apps, and other settings from the old ones.
New devices designed for Windows 10 are lighter, thinner, faster, and offer around 28% faster startup times than Windows 7, as well as new features like touchscreens, digital pens, built-in security, and facial recognition.
What hardware should I choose?
The Microsoft Surface family is our recommendation for using Windows 10 in the modern workplace. This gives you the tightest integration of Windows 10 and Office 365 with hardware on a flexible range of devices such as touchscreen portables that function as a tablet, laptop, and desktop in one, allowing your team to work from anywhere with ease.
This is particularly important in light of the Japanese government’s proposed Work Style Reforms (Hatarakikata Kaikaku), coupled with the push for increased remote working during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Microsoft Surface Devices range from Surface Go – a lightweight solution for those out in the field such as sales staff, to the METHOD IT favorite Surface Pro (video above) – the perfect match for office workers, all the way up to Surface Studio – a powerhouse touchscreen desktop for creatives and analysts.
Can I still use Internet Explorer?
January 14, 2020 also marks end of support for the Internet Explorer browser. As evidenced by a security incident in September 2019, Internet Explorer should no longer be used in a business environment. We strongly recommend switching to an up-to-date and more secure browser such as Edge, Firefox, Chrome, or Brave along with your migration to Windows 10.
What about Office 2010?
Your Windows 7 PCs may well be running Office 2010 since they were purchased together.
Be aware that support for Office 2010 will end on October 13, 2020. This means no more updates or technical support for your Office 2010 applications, as with Windows 7.
To keep your Office apps secure and up-to-date, we recommend migrating to the latest Office 365 simultaneously with Windows 10.
This has the added benefit of newer features such as Teams, Planner, OneNote, OneDrive, and To Do, that can revolutionize the way you work.
Being cloud-based, Office 365 synchronizes all data and lets you collaborate from anywhere on any device, including your mobile phone and tablet.
Ready to leave Windows 7 behind?
We're here to help:
- We have 15+ years experience in Windows support and regularly handle Windows 10 upgrades and migrations for businesses of all sizes in Japan.
- We offer all our services in both Japanese and English and are familiar with the particular needs of deploying Windows 10 in a Japanese language environment.
- We can act as a go-between for your presence in Japan and Global IT to implement Windows 10 upgrades from corporate images with targeted additional support for Japanese users.
- We are a Microsoft Partner and specialize in Office 365 migrations. We will advise you on the best Office 365 licenses for your users and draw up a staged, project-based plan for migration to Office 365.
- We offer customizable ongoing support contracts for Windows 10 and Office 365, both onsite and remote, including Mobile Device Management in line with your corporate policies.
- We are a registered Microsoft Surface Device Value Added Reseller (D-VAR) in Japan, offering B2B procurement of Surface devices at competitive prices. As a one-stop service, setup and data migration can also be bundled with your new Surface devices.
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