Business System Consultation Center - Our Business System ColumnVol.104 2020.08.01 Takahashi Minoru

Is it still okay to use Windows 7?

Thank you for your interest and continued support.
This is Takahashi from the Marketing Plan Research Laboratory.


"What happens when Windows support ends?"
I often get asked this question.
Below is a brief summary of the points to keep in mind.


・Your computer won’t stop working immediately
Just because the support period has ended,
it does not mean that “the computer won’t turn on” or “the screen will go black.”
.
As long as nothing is physically broken, you can generally continue using it just as before.


・Vulnerabilities
People who create viruses
"For a specific computer,
　　"If I send specific packets (communication data, a special combination of 0s and 1s) to a certain computer,
　　we can control that computer at will,"
and distribute them to Windows computers around the world.


Viruses exploit the "weaknesses" of computers.
This weakness is called a "vulnerability."


Vulnerabilities are also commonly referred to as "holes."
(In katakana, it’s called a “security hole”)


・A Common Story About Security Updates
Microsoft, the maker of Windows, works to
works to patch that hole via Windows Update.


Computers that have reached the end of their support period
will no longer receive updates to patch the vulnerabilities mentioned above.


・No problem if your computer isn’t connected to the internet
Computers operating in an environment without an internet connection
are generally safe even with older versions of Windows, as there is no risk of external intrusion.


・Issues with hardware procurement
For example, if you have built a business environment that runs on Windows 7,
you’ll need to keep procuring Windows 7 computers to maintain that environment.
Since electronics retailers now only sell Windows 10,
it’s fair to say that procurement is becoming more difficult every year.


It would be a problem if you couldn’t procure a replacement once a computer breaks down, so
it might be a good idea to secure a procurement channel for older operating systems in advance.


・Unable to use systems such as those of banks
It’s entirely possible—and in fact, quite common—
—and we actually hear about this quite often.
For computers used in operations that serve as the point of contact with large companies,
should be kept within their support period.


・Business systems become unusable (rare case)
"Business systems stop working when support expires"
I have never heard of this happening, but
technically, depending on how the program is written,
automatic checks and automatic exclusion are possible.


*In any of the above cases, you can simply call the relevant support contact to ask.
It’s too late once a problem arises, so if you’re concerned, be sure to check these things while everything is still working fine.


That's all, Thank you for reading.

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