Windows 7 was Microsoft’s most popular operating system ever, with hundreds of millions of licenses sold over its lifespan before being superseded by Windows 8 and most recently Windows 10. In traditional fashion Microsoft ended support of the second to last OS as of January 14th 2020. End of support means there will be no further updates, for either functionality or more importantly security after that date.
As of April 2020 its estimated 369 million or 21% of desktop PC’s are still running Windows 7 and in some countries makes up a 45% market share, a huge potential target for hackers of all persuasions as they know any new exploit found or virus created for the operating system will not be addressed by Microsoft. You only need to recall the issues caused by the Wannacry virus in 2018 exploiting unsupported Windows XP environments to see the potential issue.
Microsoft did offer an option to extend support past the end of support date, however there is a hefty premium attached to it to incentivise customers to upgrade to the latest OS.
In parallel with the transitioning of Windows 7 to Windows 10 Microsoft has also been re-inventing its licensing model through its CSP program. Rather than purchasing perpetual licenses upfront with software assurance to cover the ongoing updates and security fixes, it is now beneficial to move to the CSP model for the following reasons:
Monthly, subscription-based licensing, meaning no need to renew every year or three years.
Always be eligible for the latest upgrades.
Ability to flex licenses up and down, only paying for the licenses you need.
More cost effective as discounts are available to partners through the CSP program.
Simplify license management as all Microsoft products (Office 365, Azure, Teams, Dynamics etc) are available through the one program.
As a CSP partner, C1 Solutions can work with you to modernise and simplify your entire Microsoft licensing estate, whilst delivering ongoing cost savings. Feel free to get in touch to find out more.