If you haven’t heard yet, Windows 7 end of life is fast approaching. Microsoft plans to discontinue security updates and patches for Windows 7 as of Jan 14, 2020. If you continue to run Windows 7 on your computers after this date you are taking a huge risk. As new vulnerabilities are discovered within Windows 7, these computers will become easy targets for ransomware and identity theft. We typically recommend an expected life cycle of five years for computers, so any approaching this age should be replaced by the end of 2019 with new computers running Windows 10.
If your computer isn’t approaching five years of age and you aren’t ready to spend the money on a new computer just yet, you can consider purchasing a Windows 10 license and performing an in place upgrade.
Another option to consider, if you are intending to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10, is a new product named Microsoft 365. This is a bundle of Microsoft services and products that includes Windows 10 Professional Upgrade (from Windows 7 or 8.1) and Microsoft Office 365 Premium.
Below is a list of services included in Microsoft 365:
- Windows 10 Upgrade License
- Office on Tablets and Phones
- Office fully installed on computers plus web version
- Exchange Online with 50GB of storage
- OneDrive with 1TB of storage per user
- SharePoint
- Microsoft Teams
- Outlook Customer Manager
- Bookings
- Listings
- Invoicing
- Connections
- MileQ
Pricing for Microsoft 365 is $24.30CAD per user per month and can be reduced if prepaying for the year. With this product, your operating system and Office Suite will always receive the newest features first, since Microsoft is focused on developing for their online services first. The products receive semi-annual feature updates (spring and fall) vs. purchased software, which is typically upgraded every three years. Office 365 Premium components are included, which includes the downloadable Office suite which can be installed on up to five computers per user. Microsoft has also bundled in additional security features to Microsoft 365 that aren’t normally included in Office 365, to help protect you.
If you do choose to upgrade any computers, please consult with BSC as this process can be complicated and take some time.
Feel free to comment or reach out to us if you have any questions.
