Bye Bye Windows XP!

84% of PCs in large enterprises move away from Windows XP. As per the bi-annual Security Intelligence Report published by Microsoft in H2 2013, Windows XP installations are six times more likely to be infected by malware than Windows 8 machines

Microsoft India has announced that more than 80% of PCs in large enterprises in India have successfully moved away from Windows XP, thereby reducing the risk to their operations.

"We want every PC in India to move away from Windows XP before support ends on April 8, 2014. Our customers use Windows operating system to run critical processes which help them at work and in their lives. Therefore it is important that they use a version of Windows that gives them the best possible security and capability," said Karan Bajwa, MD, Microsoft Corporation India.

In the last eight months, there has been large scale migration from Windows XP to Windows 7/8. However, there are still about 16% of large enterprise computers that are active on Windows XP which pose a significant security risk to their organisations.

With end of support for its Windows XP solution kicking in on April 8, 2014, 12 years after it first launched, Windows XP computers will be a lot more vulnerable to security threats.

"This is a genuine threat to Indian businesses and it is worrying to see that many organizations in critical industries, for example banking, aren't moving quickly enough," added Bajwa.

As per the bi-annual Security Intelligence Report published by Microsoft in H2 2013, Windows XP installations are six times more likely to be infected by malware than Windows 8 machines. It is therefore important that organizations with critical systems such as state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the banking and financial services companies (BFSI) migrate to modern versions of Windows Operating System.

In addition to concerns over security, companies that do not upgrade will also face increased IT and maintenance costs. According to a report by IDC in 2013, companies continuing on Windows XP post April 8, 2014, will spend three times more on support and maintenance of their IT than those that will migrate to newer platforms.

Furthermore, continued reliance on Windows XP will have an impact on customer service and bottom line profitability. A report commissioned through Ascentius shows that delays in customer service due to security breaches will increase risking reputation and customer relationships. The waiting time for metro and urban bank branches is expected to rise to more than 30 minutes for an average transaction.

Microsoft extended the usual industry support period for Windows XP because the computer installed base (PCIB) was very high in the Indian market and Microsoft wanted to give time for swift migration.