“Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Alfred Lord Tennyson probably did not have computer operating systems in mind when he wrote this famous line. Come April 2014, however, those who aren’t willing to end their love affair with Windows XP may lose big.
Windows XP was long the favorite operating system for companies. However, it was also well-known for its vulnerabilities and that Microsoft actively serviced XP providing patches for these vulnerabilities. On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will stop servicing XP and this will provide a rich target for hackers who wish to exploit unreported and unpatched vulnerabilities to gain access to XP computers and/or networks.
Approximately 20 percent of all computers still utilize XP including 10 percent of all government computers (some of which belong to the Defense and State Departments). In short, companies that have computers that utilize XP risk major data breaches and corporate espionage.
Yes, we may love it, but better to lose it now than lose something much more important.