No Microsoft support for Windows XP from April

.... says 16% of large enterprises still using it, which makes them vulnerable to security threats

Microsoft India has announced the end of support for its Windows XP software from April 8. One of the company’s longest running operating systems, it was launched 12 years earlier; the aim is to get users to adopt the updated versions.

The continued use of the old operating system will expose enterprises to security threats and vulnerabilities, the technology giant warned. Microsoft estimates almost 16 per cent of computers in large enterprises — around four million — still use Windows XP. If the overall installed base of all small, medium and large enterprises was considered (around 20 mn computers), the percentage would be around 10 per cent.

Karan Bajwa, managing director, Microsoft Corporation India, said customers use the Windows operating system to run critical processes.

“Therefore, it is important that they use a version of Windows that gives them the best possible security and capability,” he said. In simple terms, once the company ends support for the operating software, computers that have XP pre-installed will still be able to use it but not get any security updates that protect their systems from viruses, etc, and make them perform optimally.

As per the bi-annual Security Intelligence Report published by Microsoft last year, Windows XP installations are six times more likely to be infected by malware than Windows 8 machines. “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.

According to the company’s estimates, 35% of computers in large enterprises in the banking financial services sector and state owned enterprises run on Windows XP.

However, Bajwa did not disclose the revenue gain from the software upgrade. “We are not giving it the colour of money.” He added that the company expects one-third of the potential users to upgrade without having to buy new software as they already own licenses for Windows 7 or Windows 8 but chose to work on the downgraded product.

It was also reported last week that Microsoft is planning to cut the prices of Windows 8.1 operating system by over 70% for makers of low-cost computers and tablets.

The move is mainly seen aimed at competing with Android – the free operating system from rival Google, new agency Bloomberg had said on Saturday. According to the report, manufacturers will be charged $15 to license Windows 8.1 and pre-install it on devices that cost less than $250 (around Rs 15,500), instead of the usual fee of $50.

However, when asked about this development, Microsoft India executives said that the company will have a variable pricing strategy for devices across the spectrum without elaborating further.