1 in 5 Small & Medium Businesses Still Use Windows XP

After Microsoft’s announcement in April 2014 stating it would no longer issue security updates for Windows XP, you’d think more businesses would have made the switch to an updated operating system. However, this is not the case for 25 percent of all PCs connecting to the web and 1 in 5 small/medium businesses. Unfortunately, in many cases, small businesses don’t have the necessary funds, technical savvy, and/or security knowledge to upgrade to a new operating system.

If your business falls into one of these categories, the good news is there are ways to keep your business operations running smoothly until an upgrade is possible. Check out the following steps you should take when securing your old operating system.

Know the Risks

If you continue to use Windows XP, you have to understand the risk involved with doing so. As more time goes by without security patches from Microsoft, more viruses will be able to find their way into your sensitive business data and information. It’s important to take as many security measures as possible if you plan on continuing with XP.

Be up to Date

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to fully update your system with all system updates and patches that were released before the cut-off date. You’ll either want to make sure you download Service Pack 3, or, if you have XP Professional 64-bit, Service Pack 2.

Be Careful About Software

Before you do anything else, get rid of Internet Explorer. While Chrome and Firefox are still supporting XP, Internet Explorer 8 is no longer receiving security updates. On the other hand, most antivirus software will continue support the OS until at least next year, but just make sure that your chosen antivirus software actually receives updates and isn’t expired. Another important update to look into is Office. Microsoft Office 2003 and Office XP no longer are getting support either, so it’ll be necessary to update to a newer version.

You should also remove any insecure software that may be lurking on your computer. One of the most at-risk types of software is plug-ins. If you don’t absolutely need browser plug-ins like Java, Adobe Flash, and Adobe Reader, just uninstall them.

Monitoring System

When running an old operating system, it’s more important than ever to have someone monitoring security threats and critical errors. Consider a secure cloud-based Windows monitoring system like SentinelAgent. With SaaS architecture and an SSL encrypted internet connection, you can be sure that SentinelAgent will upload your data to the cloud and securely store it on Microsoft Azure.

Another huge advantage is asset management, which can help you meet your industry’s requirements for certification and compliance. Without this type of monitoring system, you might find yourself doing twice the work, half as effectively.

Even with Microsoft XP on the way out, your business doesn’t have to suffer. You may not be able to upgrade to a new operating system for your business just yet, but if you take the right precautions, you can still keep your business running smoothly and securely.