Windows 7 Support Ends In 2020, So Plan To Upgrade - Olmec Skip to main content

Windows 7 Support Ends In 2020, So Plan To Upgrade

By January 31, 2019June 2nd, 2022Technology News

Bad news is on the horizon if you’re one of the surprising number of people still using Windows 7.  Microsoft is only offering one more year of free support.  As of January 14th, 2020, you’ll no longer have access to critical security updates.

While support will end entirely for individual consumers, businesses will still be able to get support.

However, after the date listed above, they’ll have join the Windows 7 Extended Security Update program, and they’ll have to pay a fee.  Worse, that fee will increase every year.

Enterprise users with volume-licensing agreements will get a discount on the fee, but even then, support will vanish completely by January 2023.  Microsoft will also be providing ESU’s for no cost to customers who purchase the Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop service, which allows users to virtualize both Windows 7 and Windows 10.

Note that in a related vein, the company will stop supporting the Office 365 ProPlus plugin for Windows 7, and that the company has a whole raft of products they’re ending support for on January 14th, 2020.

None of this should come as a surprise.  After all, Microsoft has made its support timeline public.  Even so, there are several companies running legacy applications that rely on Windows 7, and many of them don’t yet have migration plans in place. If that describes your company, there’s still time to begin making those plans, but the clock is ticking. Further inaction is bound to cost you, which is going to start impacting your bottom line.

The company has drawn a hard line here, and it’s highly doubtful that pleas from consumers will prompt them to offer more of an extension than they already have.  With that in mind, your best bet is to start making plans to switch or upgrade now.

Jason Manteiga

Jason J. Manteiga, Vice President of Olmec Systems, has been part of the company for over the past 20 years. He believes that having a great work environment and supportive team, is the ultimate key to success. Since being in the IT realm for over 25 years, Jason, along with Olmec Systems, has been on the Inc. 5000 “List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” and Channel Futures MSP 501 “Top Managed Service Providers in North America,” along with other awards and nominations. Jason earned his Bachelor Degree in Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also holds certifications in Microsoft MCSE, VMWare VCP, and Cisco CCNA. In his spare time, Jason is a contributor for The Center for Social & Legal Research (Privacy Exchange) and a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. His hobbies include cycling and kayaking. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters and son.