Upgrade Your Hardware and Migrate Over Your Data

Unfortunately, this option has two considerable downsides: it’s going to be pretty darn expensive, and since there is a very limited amount of time to get it done, you’ll likely have to pay even more to expedite the process. Furthermore, despite the professionalism and skill that our consultants at Coleman Technologies will bring to the table, rushing this normally slow and controlled process is bound to create complications. Sure, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 may still work, technically speaking, but it will only become harder to find the other components that play nicely with the software you rely on - not to mention riskier to even attempt.

Before you bite the bullet and replace all of your hardware, you may have the option to simply upgrade the solutions present in your infrastructure already. Windows 10 has a few fairly attainable benchmarks. They include:

• Processor - 1 GHZ or faster
• RAM - 1 GB for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
• Hard disk space - 16 GB for 32-bit or 20 GB for 64-bit
• Graphics card - DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
• Display - 800 x 600 resolution

Having said that, these are the minimum points for Windows 10 to work, so don’t expect your users to break any records using it with those specifications. Instead, we recommend that you have a dual-core processor rated to at least 2 GHz, anywhere from 4-to-8 GBs of RAM, and a 160 GB hard drive at the minimum.

Virtualize Your Data Via the Cloud

Of course, you also have the option to simply use virtualized solutions, rather than acquire new in-house hardware. Not only are virtualized servers more cost effective than purchasing a new in-house system, you have much more flexibility in the types of servers you can host. Microsoft Azure, for instance, offers virtual machine capabilities that cover the gamut of a business’ needs.

It also should be said that virtualization also assists with budgeting for your IT, as the purchases you would have made otherwise are turned into predictable operating expenses, rather than a pricey capital expense; plus, with services like Azure, your solutions are maintained as a part of the cost, so when compared apples-to-apples, virtualization could easily be the less-expensive option for you to go with.

Empower Your Team with Microsoft 365

Admittedly, while Microsoft 365 won’t do much to resolve your difficulties with Server 2008 R2, you can implement it quickly, which helps when you’re trying to beat an End-of-Life deadline. As it offers a comprehensive assortment of key solutions--including Windows 10, the Microsoft Office 365 productivity suite with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and OneDrive--supported by the tools you need to keep your data secure and under your control, you could certainly do worse than implementing Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 Business takes these benefits even further than other cloud systems, while never losing sight of the productivity benefits that you are looking for from your business’ chosen solution. Additionally, with easily scalable licenses, this is likely a great choice for your organization to implement.

While Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 were once the standard for businesses to utilize, those days are long past. Don’t let their lack of support create problems for your business. Call Coleman Technologies today to ensure that all of the solutions that you leverage in your operations are able to serve you well. Give us a call at (604) 513-9428 to learn more.

By many, we mean about a quarter of them.

With the deadline just a week and a half away, we wanted to reiterate what a solution reaching end of support means, how it would impact you, and what your options are.

The first thing to address is what “end of support” actually means. It doesn’t mean you won’t have the ability to use whatever software it is (in this case, the Windows 7 operating system) after the end of support date. What it means is that Microsoft is no longer doing anything to it - including improving its security and patching issues. As a result, the software will lose its functionality over time. Worse, the computer running the software becomes vulnerable, which makes the entire network vulnerable - not a good thing.

To be fair, there are some ways that you can protect your network while still using these devices. For instance, if you rely on a particular line-of-business application that requires Windows 7, you could theoretically isolate a Windows 7 device to allow you to do so. However, to be completely fair, there isn’t any guarantee that you will be protected from vulnerabilities, short of completely taking problematic systems entirely offline.

Therefore, it only makes sense to explore your other options.

Your Other Options

With the deadline as close as it is, you will need to hustle to put any of these alternatives into action:

Upgrade to Windows 10

Objectively speaking, Windows 10 is better than Windows 7, if only for its improved security. Furthermore, it isn’t one of those solutions that requires insanely higher specifications to run. In fact, the minimum numbers you need to operate Windows 10 are as follows:

• Processor - 1 GHZ or faster
• RAM - 1 GB for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
• Hard disk space - 16 GB for 32-bit or 20 GB for 64-bit
• Graphics card - DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
• Display - 800 x 600 resolution

Mind you, this is all it takes to run Windows 10, not to run Windows 10 well. To improve your performance, we suggest that you make a few alterations - upgrading to a 2 GHz dual-core processor, increasing your RAM to between 4-and-8 GB, and Increasing your hard drive space to 160 GZB, at least.

Purchase New Hardware

While it will cost you a pretty penny, obtaining new hardware (that comes with Windows 10 installed) may be the easiest option, especially when you take your looming deadline into account. Windows 10 and regular updates to it are all included, but it may take some time to configure everything properly.

Virtualize with a Thin Client

In a similar vein as leveraging Chromebooks instead of Windows, you could use your old hardware as a thin client to virtualize your needed solutions. However, despite the reputation that virtualization has as a solid option for businesses, it may not be a practicable option with the deadline pressing so close.

Alternatively, you could simplify this process using one of Microsoft’s services. Microsoft 365 offers a combination of Windows 10, Office 365, One Drive with an included terabyte of storage, and fully featured security. Available at a predictable monthly flat-rate per user, it gives you a solid alternative for at least your productivity-software-using employees.

Regardless, you need to take action now. Reach out to Coleman Technologies today for help. We’ll figure out which approach is best for you and help you with your upgrade process. Call us at (604) 513-9428 to learn more.

January 14, 2020

Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 will no longer be supported after January 14, 2020. Computers that are running the software will no longer be protected, and put your business at risk. After January 14th, any computer still running Windows 7 will not be receiving technical assistance from Microsoft. First released in late October 2009, Windows 7 was one of Microsoft’s most effective and popular operating systems, but the time has come to upgrade.

Why Shouldn’t You Run Unsupported Software?

Simply put, by running unsupported software your business becomes much more vulnerable to cyberattack. Supported software is routinely patched to keep potential vulnerabilities from becoming disasters for your company. A data breach can flatten any forward momentum a business has, and today, with ransomware being a consideration, making sure all of the software you depend on is supported keeps your business secure.  Besides the security issues, there are other considerations to contend with, like a loss in functionality 

What are Your Options?

Since you have around a month left to upgrade away from Windows 7, you still have time to switch your Windows 7 workstations over to Windows 10. Windows 10 is the current standard and has been for nearly five years. To upgrade to Windows 10 requires at least a 1 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, and 20 GB available on a hard drive. Since these specs aren’t much over what Windows 7 required, it may not be necessary to overhaul the hardware on each of your workstation. 

Extended Support

For organizations that simply won’t have time to upgrade their machines there are a couple of options that you should know about. Microsoft is offering a costly extended support package that will available for all Windows 7 Pro and Windows 7 Enterprise customers with volume licensing through January 2023. Most businesses will not qualify, but if yours does, the costs for Enterprise will be $25 per device from 2020-2021, $50 per device from 2021-2022, and $100 per device from 2022-2023. The cost of support for Pro versions will be double that. 

There are, at this moment no plans to support this software after 2023.

Microsoft 365

If your business is looking for an option that will move you on from Windows 7, Microsoft now offers the Microsoft 365 bundle. Available in enterprise, business, and education platforms, the cloud-based bundle provides users with Windows 10, the productivity and storage applications in Microsoft Office 365, and the security and control settings you’ll need to get the most out of the subscription service. Paid by the user, per month, major hardware upgrades can be tabled or done incrementally, allowing a business to pay as they go until they get to where they want to be. 

If your organization needs help upgrading your software, or keeping it patched and up-to-date, call the IT professionals at Coleman Technologies today at (604) 513-9428.

The future of your business depends on how you respond to these End of Support dates. In fact, along with Windows 7, solutions like Windows Server 2008 R2 will also lose support, putting businesses that haven’t updated their infrastructure in a while in a precarious place. Believe us when we say that you are potentially underestimating the process of implementing new software solutions for your business in the face of these End of Support dates.

What Does End of Support Mean?

You may receive messages on your device asking you to install updates. While it might almost always be an inconvenient time to make sure this happens, the fact that they won’t be there in the future should scare you. These updates are meant to help you dodge issues that could become larger problems in the future, meaning that if an End of Support event is upcoming, you’ll want to prioritize upgrading away from unsupported software.

Why is this an Issue?

Security updates are important, but so are the patches that resolve everything from minor operational issues to major security flaws and vulnerabilities. Hackers take advantage of everything they can find to create trouble for your business, and it’s likely that after the End of Support date, the number of threats will only multiply. It’s best to prevent these security issues from becoming major disasters by ensuring your updates are applied as they are released.

By taking preventative action now, you can save your business countless amounts of time and resources. Furthermore, wouldn’t it be nice if you had technology from this decade? We assure you that the update to a more recent operating system will be much welcomed after the fact, no matter how difficult the implementation process winds up being.

Coleman Technologies can help your business ensure that it upgrades away from outdated software in a timely manner. To learn more about this process and your options, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

Support for these two titles ends on January 14, 2020. If your business has neglected to upgrade away from the technology after Microsoft ended mainstream support in 2015, time is finally running out in which to do so. It is important to have a strategy to move to a more up-to-date operating system. By not completing a full migration away from these titles your business will not have the protection it needs to keep your company’s data secure. Vulnerabilities will begin to present themselves pretty quickly and you will see your ability to maintain data security wane. Let’s take a look at these titles, and what needs to happen to successfully remain secure.

Windows 7

Windows 7 is one of Microsoft’s most popular operating systems of all time, and is still used by millions of people from all over the world. In fact, it wasn’t until last December that Windows 10, Micrsosoft’s latest OS, passed Windows 7 in number of users. The software giant has started a major ad campaign to inform people of how to upgrade away from Windows 7 as soon as possible.

The most obvious option is to upgrade your business’ workstations to Windows 10. Windows 10 is constantly supported, offers many features that Windows 7 is incapable of, and features a profile that isn’t significantly heavier so most systems that you have will run Windows 10 effectively.  If you are in a position where you need to move over a lot of workstations, our consultants can help you calculate the best route forward. 

Another option Microsoft provides is called Microsoft 365. This cloud-based service deliberately targets the millions of Windows 7 users as it doesn’t require huge capital costs to move to Windows 10. At Coleman Technologies, we can help you determine the pricing of a migration either to new onsite infrastructure or a hosted solution. Either way, your business will need to have upgraded before January 14, 2020.

Windows Server 2008 R2

In addition to Windows 7, in January 2020, Microsoft will be retiring the entire Windows Server 2008 R2 suite. If your business utilizes Windows Server 2008 R2 for data and application hosting, you will need to have a plan in place to upgrade prior to the end of support date. Just like Windows 7, Microsoft will stop delivering security patches to Windows Server 2008 R2, meaning that there is a very real possibility that your organization could go without security updates if you fail to upgrade.

Microsoft has since released two new versions of the Windows Server software, as well as implemented a cloud-based option in Azure. It might be able to help you save money with cloud-based server management, but you won’t know for sure if it’s the right call to make without talking to the IT professionals at Coleman Technologies. Call us today to find out more at (604) 513-9428.