VietNamNet Bridge – Microsoft today reminded business and consumers in Vietnam with PCs still running Windows XP that it will officially retire service and support for Windows XP in six months’ time, on April 8, 2014.

With half a year left to this crucial milestone, there are over 5.3 million PCs in Vietnam, or four in 10 PCs, which are still running on Windows XP, an 11-year-old operating system no longer capable of handling sophisticated cyber-attacks and demands for more data privacy and productivity.

After April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, non-security related fixes, there won’t be a number to call for technical assistance, or online technical content updates for Windows XP. This means that users will no longer receive the updates that help protect PCs from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. This may result in downtime and software compatibility issues.

Microsoft urged all business and consumers still using PCs running on Windows XP to upgrade to either Windows 7 or Windows 8. According to the findings of Microsoft’s Security Intelligence Report, Volume 14, released in April 2013, Windows XP with SP3 is up to 56.5 times more vulnerable than Windows 8 RTM.

StatCounter figures for September 2013 show that Vietnam has one of the highest Windows XP installed bases in Asia Pacific. Windows XP still accounts for approximately 44 per cent of PCs in Vietnam. That’s equivalent to an alarming figure of 5.3 million PCs, which is roughly the population of Singapore. On the bright side, as of September 2013, consumers and businesses have been slowly upgrading to newer versions of the operating system, and at least 48 per cent of PCs are now on Windows 7 and 8.

Director of SMSP, Microsoft Vietnam, Pham Tran Anh said: “Clearly, there’s still a lack of urgency in organisations in Vietnam to make migration a priority. While no one likes change, consumers and businesses need to consider newer operating systems like Windows 7 or 8 in order to modernise their computing devices and to address sophisticated threats which can compromise the safety of their personal information.”

“This could result in additional costs associated with support and business continuity. With the typical deployment times for upgrades spanning from three to six months for small businesses, and more than six months for mid-sized businesses, we are really worried that companies in Vietnam are cutting it too close to the end of service date.

We’re committed to helping Vietnam upgrade,” he added.

Industry analysts have been advising businesses to move away from Windows XP over the past years. With six months to go before the end of service for Windows XP, IT analysts are stepping up their education efforts to drive a greater sense of urgency.

"Time is running out," said Handoko Andi, manager of Client Devices Research at IDC Asia/Pacific. "In order to make sure that PCs continue to be securely supported and operational, both consumers and businesses alike should be migrating to newer versions of the operating system now, given the termination of extended support for Windows XP in just six months’ time."

Source: VIR