Organisations Migration from Windows XP

Windows XP was a good operating system and was the best in its time. It was also the longest running operating system from Microsoft and frankly, if we compare the peak popularity of Windows XP against any other operating system in the world, the former would emerge winner. However, with time, people needed more features which couldn't be integrated in the old operating system due to the inherent architecture and Microsoft came out with modern versions, Vista, 7, 8 and 10, in that order.

However, people and companies became so habituated of using XP that they simply couldn't or wouldn't stop using it. While for personal users, it was more of a personal preference, companies faced a trickier situation. They have built their whole IT infrastructure on Windows XP and it is not a simple task to migrate to another OS. There would be compatibility issues, if nothing else. And companies and organisations can't risk breaking their IT system down as that would be catastrophic. Thus, they are stuck with XP, even if they want to move on.

Thankfully, there are some niche agencies who made it their job to help companies with Windows XP migration. They will ensure that no data is lost and every internal application, servers, databases and systems are properly functioning after the upgrade. It would be great if the whole infrastructure can be upgraded to Windows 10 which is the most recent offering from Microsoft and looks like a long time player, going by the success of the OS.

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Migrate to Windows 10 For Better Interconnectivity

OK, to be frank, I love Windows 10. It is super smooth, super-fast and has loads of new features. I strongly believe that Microsoft is trying to move to an app-based ecosystem from a software based operating system. Just like Google Play store, there are Microsoft app store in Windows 10 and you can find so many apps which can be installed just like you install Android apps.

Windows 10 has also diminished the gap between the PC and the Windows phone. Windows phone is still to catch up against Google Android but Windows rule the PC market and there is no competitor in the hindsight. Probably for 10 more years, Microsoft can stop worrying about PC market dominance. But, Windows 10 is a clear effort towards exploiting the PC dominance to influence the smartphone market. There is a seamless connection between a Windows 10 PC and a Windows 10 phone. With almost all the Windows phone being Windows 10 phones, the transition is smooth and people can easily access contents and services of one device in the other. Microsoft has invested heavily in the cloud infrastructure so yes, the interconnection of services and data is super easy now.

I already said, almost all the Windows phones are Win 10 phone but many PC owners are still stuck with Windows 7 or 8. It would be a good time for Windows 8 to 10 migration as you can utilise the advantages the new OS offers and the best thing is, it’s completely free.

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Small Companies Need To Take Cyber Security Seriously

There is a recent survey in the USA among all the small and medium companies which brought forward a rather worrying information. Among all the small companies, 1/3rd have been subjected to one type of cyber attack or the other. Even worse, more than half, almost 3 out of every 5 companies said, they were not even aware when it happened and discovered it a lot later. Finally, a vast majority of companies, nearly 70% of the companies said that they don't have a strategy ready to combat this threat.

Small companies have a few problems!!br0ken!! Firstly, these companies always believe that they are too small to be a lucrative target of the hackers. Hackers know this tendency very well and they exploit this as well. They steal the customer data from these less secure companies to attack the bigger companies.

Secondly, the small companies believe that investing in online security is an added expense which is again a perception which doesn't go well. It's an investment which would help the company for a long time to come. The companies should realise this really fast.  Then only cyber attack real time can be fended away.

Small companies or big companies, they both share another mindset that real time cyber security is the responsibility of the IT team. Yes, to an extent it is true but those guys need cooperation from the whole organisation. The CXO level people need to take more active interest in the IT security issues.

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Use IE11 To Your Advantage

 

IE11 is the latest web browser from Microsoft Windows but it has been created for the latest versions of the OS. In other words, you simply can't run IE11, Internet Explorer 11, if you are running, say, Windows XP. This makes using IE11 a tricky proposition.

On one hand, you simply can't deny how much better this version of the Internet Explorer is. Whether it is security, better compatibility of the modern online assets, the faster page loading or simply the innumerable little features, IE11 is certainly better than IE8, the last version which is compatible with Windows XP.

On the other hand, your application might not run on IE11. Certainly, if something was created when IE11 was not in the horizon, how can it be created to be compatible with the latter? IE11 compatibility came into prominence when the Windows Vista service pack 2 was launched. This is when the web browser was launched and developers, while still predominantly building for IE8, also took care of the IE11 compatibility.

So, what can you do now? The answer is not as complicated as you might think. Many agencies and companies specialise in legacy applications which means their job it is to make older applications compatible with modern operating systems or web browsers, read IE11. If they know what they are doing, they should be able to finish the work without any hiccups. They will not disrupt the daily usage of the tool and they will also ensure that no data is lost during the transition.

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