Posts Tagged ‘microsoft’

The Sunset of Windows XP and Office 2003

Posted on: March 28th, 2013 by jiml | No Comments

The sun is setting on our old friends Windows XP and Office 2003. Alas, life does go on and sunrise brings new opportunities with a new day. Microsoft will no longer provide extended support past April 8, 2014.  That means no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates.

What are your plans to phase out Windows XP and Office 2003 in your business?  If you do not have a plan, you are late.   Based on historical customer deployment data, the average enterprise deployment can take 18 to 32 months from start to finish.

Continuing to use Windows XP and Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may expose your company to potential risks, such as:

  • Security & Compliance Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications, and/or public notification of the organization’s inability to maintain its systems and customer information.
  • Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Hardware Manufacturers support: An industry report from Gartner suggested “many independent software vendors (ISVs) are unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP in 2011; in 2012, it will become common.” And it may stifle access to hardware innovation: Gartner further notes that as of 2012, most PC hardware manufacturers would stop supporting Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models. [1]

It is important for every business to plan for the day when Windows XP and Office 2003 will no longer be a secure or supported choices to run your business applications. Microsoft’s release of Windows 8 may be a tempting replacement, but before you run out and upgrade all of your PCs and laptops to Windows 8, there are considerations that must be carefully examined. For example, we strongly encourage the creation of a master list of software that is necessary to run the business.  These software packages should be classified as critical, important, or non-critical.  Next, each software package will need investigation to see what operating platforms they support and what their development life cycle will support in the coming months and years.  Knowing this information is critical to making a smart business decision. Based on the data provided from your software audit, a determination can be made as to which operating platform is best for your business (Windows 8, Windows 7, Mac, 32-bit versus 64-bit, etc).

Once the next generation platform has been decided upon, a timeline can be established for bringing your business infrastructure up to date. Do not wait until the last minute or you may find yourself riding off into the sunset with our old friends Windows XP and Office 2003.  Creating the timeline can help with cash flow and reduce long-term expenses by avoiding the problems that come from last minute replacements, not to mention the increased productivity that comes with newer operating systems and business software.

Call us at (888) 600-4560 or email us at info@coldencompany.com and let us help your business plan the migration from older Microsoft technologies to a more secure and long-term platform for your PC infrastructure. Sure, we will miss the familiarity of Windows XP and Office 2003, but let’s enjoy the sunset from the secure vantage point of an upgraded and supported infrastructure.

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[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/endofsupport.aspx







A Look Below the Surface

Posted on: June 29th, 2012 by jiml | No Comments

As you have probably heard by now, Microsoft announced their new tablet technology, called Surface. By most accounts the hardware appears to be high quality.  The 10.6” screen has a very nice display, touch screen technology and the device has many available ports for connectivity.

Rather than debate the functionality of the iPad vs. the Surface, we will take a different approach to our discussion.  What should you know as a business about this new technology?

For starters, the Surface will eventually be running Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 8.  This operating system is key to the success of Microsoft as it will be the operating system to run PCs and laptops as well as tablets.  The merging of the tablet and PC operating systems is the evolution that many have been waiting for.  This means that any programs that you can run on your PC can run on your tablet, unless your device requires Windows RT, a scaled down version for phone/tablet level hardware (ARM hardware).  The important thing to note is that Microsoft will begin releasing the Surface with Windows RT.  Many Windows applications will not run on this operating system. Microsoft plans to follow with a Surface tablet that runs the more business friendly Windows 8 Pro at a later date.

Another point of interest is that Microsoft will control the hardware on the surface much like Apple controls the hardware for the iPad.  From a business perspective, the good news is conformity usually leads to stability.  The bad news is that you are locked into whatever hardware choices Microsoft chooses to make.

The bright side is Windows RT will be available on a variety of tablet platforms such as the Samsung Galaxy and others.  The question remains whether software developers will embrace the Windows RT platform or not.   The full Windows 8 will be able to run on a variety of hardware choices in the desktop, laptop and net book space.  The choices for tablets capable of running the full version of Windows 8 will likely improve in the future.

Tablet devices have appeal for businesses in many areas, including sales, field users, and of course the executive toy.  The superior screen display along with the emergence of cloud technology which allows applications to be accessed with simply a browser make them functional choices as well.  Today tablets fall short running many on-premise line-of-business (LOB) applications and management of proprietary solutions like the iPad are a business challenge. A Windows 8 tablet running a full version of Windows will open many doors to these business challenges.  Just make sure you know what you are buying before you buy it and don’t get fooled into buying something that cannot meet the business objectives.

Call us today at (888) 600-4560 if you would like to hear more or email us at info@coldencompany.com or of course see us on Facebook or Twitter (@coldenco).





Keeping Windows XP is Costing You Money

Posted on: May 31st, 2012 by jiml | No Comments

It’s no secret to businesses using Microsoft’s venerable Windows XP that Microsoft will be terminating extended support for the operating system on April 8, 2014. Termination of extended support means that there will be no monthly patches for security problems, bugs, etc. In short, as of April 8, 2014, the Windows XP you’re running will be the Windows XP you’re running forever – unchanging and no longer protected.

An IDC study (commissioned by Microsoft) suggests that organizations can save money by moving from Windows XP to Windows 7. The study, “Mitigating Risk: Why Sticking with Windows XP is a Bad Idea,” is available for download on Microsoft’s website. The study discusses the benefits associated with a move from Windows XP to Windows 7 and presents a case for the many reasons why remaining with Windows XP is no longer a good business decision. The study takes into consideration both IT operational costs and selected end-user operational costs, such as time lost to malware, time taken to reimage/repair a PC, reboot waits, downtime, and time waiting for help desk support. The paper then aggregates the costs associated (ongoing support and maintenance, IT staff or professional services costs, etc.) and calculates the return-on-investment (ROI) associated with the deployment of Windows 7 to replace aging Windows XP PCs.

IDC estimates that the annual cost per PC per year for Windows XP is $870, while a comparable Windows 7 PC costs only $168 per PC per year. That is a potential savings of $701 per PC per year for IT and end-user labor costs. Most importantly, the study estimates that over a three-year period, organizations that move from Windows XP to Windows 7 will have a 137 percent ROI. It’s true that there will be capital expenditures (capex) and operational expenditures (opex) during the upgrade process, which IDC acknowledges as “Challenge: It takes money to save money” in the report (p. 11). However, IDC also acknowledges “Opportunity: Cost savings are forever” as well (p.11). The report optimistically states that “once an upgrade is completed, and the operational costs are lowered, those lower operational cost benefits continue to accrue into the future with no further direct capex investment.”

Windows XP is already two generations behind Microsoft’s current workstation operating system technology. With the release of Windows 8 later this year, Windows XP will be a decade old and three generations behind current technology. Many businesses are running the aging operating system on aging (or already well-aged) hardware that performs substantially below the level of current hardware or is prone to failure. It’s time to improve your business’ technology and user productivity through an investment in more modern technology. IDC sums up the report nicely by stating “Organizations that continue to retain a Windows XP environment not only are leaving themselves exposed to security risks and support challenges but also are wasting budget dollars that would be better used in modernizing their IT investments.”

Don’t waste another dime; upgrade your aging hardware to more-capable systems and your aging operating system to Windows 7 and protect your business. For assistance with this or any other IT-related problem, please contact us at (888) 600-4560, email us at info@coldencompany.com or see us on Facebook or Twitter.







Two-Year Countdown to End of Support for Windows XP and Office 2003

Posted on: April 13th, 2012 by billp | No Comments

Microsoft divides its support lifecycle into two phases: “Mainstream” and “Extended.” In the Mainstream phase, software receives free security updates, bug fixes, new or improved features, etc. In the Extended phase, only security updates are provided.

Windows XP and Office 2003 are currently in Extended support until April 8, 2014. After that date, they’ll cease receiving even security updates, leaving anyone still using that software vulnerable to viruses, malware, etc. that are designed to target remaining weaknesses.

Windows Vista and Office 2007 will be in Extended support from now until April 2017.

Upgrade Today: Two-Year Countdown to End of Support for Windows XP and Office 2003 (Windows for your Business Blog)

If you’re still running Windows XP or Office 2003, now is the time to start planning your upgrades. Windows 7 and Office 2010 are mature and reliable products that are ready to support your business needs. Or are you ready to take your business into the cloud with Office 365? Do you want to plan a migration to any of these products? If so, contact us for help at (888) 600-4560, info@coldencompany.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter @coldenco.

Email: Into the Cloud!

Posted on: February 29th, 2012 by jiml | No Comments

There has been a lot of discussion about cloud computing in recent years and major companies like Google and Microsoft are investing millions of dollars into competing for that space. At Colden Company Inc., we are often asked about the cloud and whether or not our clients should consider the move into a cloud environment. The answer to the question “is the cloud good for my business?” is, of course, “it depends”. It is important to review what line-of-business (LOB) applications that your business relies on and whether or not cloud options are available and an improvement over traditional on-premise applications. Obvious benefits to cloud solutions include improved business continuity, less upfront hardware expense, and fewer ongoing maintenance expenses, while downsides include reliance on a stable Internet connection for access to data and perhaps decreased performance of certain applications.

In general terms, we prefer our data files stored locally, but backed up to the cloud. This insures fastest access and the safety of having a backup in the cloud, protecting against a site-level disaster. We prefer our email in the cloud for reasons will we discuss shortly and we prefer to examine our LOB applications on a case-by-case basis. Let’s focus on email since we feel it is a great cloud application.

Cloud applications rely on Internet connectivity so having a solid connection is vital. In today’s mobile computing world, email comes not only to PCs and laptops but also to smart phones and tablets. These devices often use 3G or 4G connections which are really separate Internet connections than the office network, providing a layer of redundancy in case the office Internet goes down. Secondly, email is not an application that requires a 100% persistent connection and is not as large a bandwidth user as many LOB applications. These two points make email a natural fit for the cloud.

Many people think that cloud email will only offer a reduced feature set as was evidenced by Microsoft’s Outlook Web Access for many years. This is no longer the case. Microsoft Hosted Exchange, Office365, and Google Apps for Business offer fully functional and web-based feature sets compared to on-premise solutions. With both the Microsoft and Google offerings, you can even continue to seamlessly use your local Outlook client while realizing the benefits of the cloud. Reduced functionality is no longer a reason to stay out of the cloud.

Email is just so critical to business today that having the guaranteed up-time that many cloud services provide is a great way to ensure the reliability of this critical business tool. Google and Microsoft both commit to a Service Level Agreement (SLA) of greater than 99.9% for their business cloud offerings. Cloud email is secure and reliable, making it a great fit for such an important business tool.

Finally, no evaluation would be complete without considering costs. Studies have shown that cloud email has less up front cost and in many cases, lower long term costs for the business as a result of less maintenance and fewer lost hours in productivity. With a cloud-based solution for your email, expenses are stable and predictable – both very attractive traits to business owners.

Are you interested in hearing more about how your business can migrate its email to the cloud? Contact Colden Company Inc. at (888) 600-4560, info@coldencompany.com, see us on Facebook or Twitter @coldenco.






Microsoft Windows 8 and the Tablet Market

Posted on: November 28th, 2011 by jiml | No Comments

 When traveling, it is not unusual for me to see more people with tablet devices in the airport than carrying a laptop.  Tablets like the iPad are lighter, boot up much more quickly and give users access to the essentials like email, presentations and web browsing.  Tablets offer these features more cheaply than a laptop if all you need is the subset of functionality.

Microsoft has been concentrating a large portion of their development dollars on the cloud in recent years and has fallen behind in the tablet market by all objective measurements.  Microsoft is currently developing the successor to Windows 7, currently known by the name Windows 8, which is intended to help them close the gap.  Windows 8 will be the first operating system designed to work on both traditional laptop/PC hardware but also on tablet devices. The following link provided by Microsoft will explain some of the features that Windows 8 will include:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/preview

As a business, the question you may be asking is how Windows 8 will affect your business. The good news is we have time to determine that.  Windows 8 is not yet available and is currently planned for release sometime in late 2012.  Where we see Windows 8 being valuable is in the marriage of the laptop/PC and tablet operating systems.  Smart phones are essentially small tablets and the pervasive nature of personal smart phones makes them a challenge for businesses to manage.  Smart phones can be configured to access corporate email, line of business applications and cloud applications meaning they need to be secured in the same manner as other network devices. This is currently problematic for many businesses since many employees are using their own phones for business purposes.  The hope in marrying the technologies is that perhaps standardization can bring security and supportability to compliment the many benefits that the tablet and mobile markets are bringing to business.

Colden Company has installed and is testing the preview release of Windows 8 to gain familiarity with the new operating system. If you’d like to know more, call us at (888) 600-4560, email us at info@coldencompany.com, see us on Facebook , or follow us on Twitter@coldenco.





Microsoft announces Office 365

Posted on: November 30th, 2010 by jiml | No Comments

Microsoft announces Office 365, a new service that brings familiar applications, including Office desktop software and Office Web Apps, together with SharePoint, Exchange and Lync in the cloud, for the first time.

In October 2010, Microsoft unveiled a new product offering called Office 365. While the Office 365 brand is new, the actual products behind it are not – Microsoft Office (the most popular productivity software in the world), Microsoft Exchange (email, calendar, contacts, collaboration, etc.), Microsoft SharePoint (web-based collaboration), and Microsoft Lync (instant messaging, conferencing, telephony, etc.). The most important distinction is that Office 365 is a cloud-based solution and offers options that are a good fit for businesses of all sizes. In Microsoft’s words, “Office 365 is more than a new brand. It’s a progressive approach to cloud applications,” said Kurt DelBene, president of the Microsoft Office Division. “We designed Office 365 to work for a business of one – or a business of one million and one.”

Office 365 is not the first time Microsoft has provided cloud-based productivity solutions. BPOS, Business Productivity Online Suite, which included Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Live Meeting, and Office Communications Online is Microsoft’s current cloud business productivity suite.  Office 365 will be Microsoft’s marquee cloud solution, updating the technologies in BPOS, Office Live Small Business, Live@edu (hosted email, calendar, and contacts for educational institutions), and Office Web Apps. The key difference in Office 365 is that Microsoft is consolidating these formerly disconnected services under a single brand and a single scaling pricing and licensing structure. From a customer’s standpoint, Microsoft is simplifying their menu of options while increasing the flexibility that customers have in choosing the package that is right for them.

Microsoft has been working to move their business productivity solutions into the cloud for years, all while dealing with rapid advancements in the cloud space by competitors such as Google (Google Apps) and IBM (LotusLive). Cloud solutions offer huge benefits to Microsoft and its competitors. Cloud solutions reduce the cost of producing software products because there is no physical product to manufacture, ship, sell, etc.. Cloud solutions improve the ability of a software developer to make incremental changes and improvements (particularly security patches) to their software without maintaining a costly infrastructure to deliver updates to locally-installed software products. And, of course, cloud solutions offer a source of recurring revenue to software companies because they now charge for software on a subscription basis.

The benefits of cloud solutions are not only for the manufacture; customer can reap huge rewards as well. With Office 365, Microsoft can provide their technology to customers on a more frequent basis, while customers save money at the same time – typically anywhere from 10-50% when considering licensing, administrative costs, etc. Today, the average mid-sized company only upgrades Office every six to seven years.  With Office 365, they can always be on the cusp of the next wave in productivity-boosting technology.

Consider a small sample of the benefits of cloud solutions.

  • Less in-house IT infrastructure reduces cost, complexity, and risk.
  • Reduced burden of tracking software licenses; you only pay for what you need, and all licenses are tracked based on your online purchase.
  • Lowered administrative burden of locally-installed software; you no longer need to worry about when or if you should upgrade Office to the next major version, how much the upgrade will cost, how much of an impact and downtime the upgrade will impose on your staff, whether or not you have all the latest security patches applied, etc.
  • Your data is protected, private, and secure at all times. Consider this: is your data more protected and secure on a server in the office with tape or disk backups, or in one of Microsoft’s geo-redundant industry-leading data centers at multiple locations across the globe?

Microsoft understands that customers want choices.  With Office 365, Microsoft offers a range of options from basic email for $2 per user per month to a complete enterprise solution for $27 per user per month that includes full Office Professional Plus desktop software, along with Office Web Apps; the most advanced versions of Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Lync Online; 24×7 phone support; advanced IT administrative controls; and on-premises use rights for voice. Microsoft is not limiting customers’ choice by restricting higher-end options to a minimum license purchase; even sole proprietors can opt for the enterprise-level Office 365 and enjoy all its benefits.

Office 365 is currently in very limited beta. Microsoft Partners, such as Colden Company, are learning about the service and rapidly getting up to speed on behalf of their customers. When available, Colden Company can assist your business in migrating to Office 365 and administering it on an ongoing basis, allowing you to focus on your business and less on your technology. For more information, visit the Office 365 website or read the Office 365 press release.

If you’re interested in Office 365 or any other Microsoft technologies mentioned in this newsletter, Colden Company can help. Please contact us at 518-885-2857, toll-free at 888-600-4560, email to info@coldencompany.com, or on Twitter for assistance with Microsoft or any of your business computing needs.


Microsoft Announces Lync 2010

Posted on: November 18th, 2010 by jiml | No Comments

Microsoft announced the arrival of its newest office product, called Lync 2010.  Lync is considered a convergence of communication methods providing a combination Instant Messenger (IM) client, soft phone and video collaboration tool.  The tool is designed to serve as a potential replacement for the traditional PBX phone system.  In one consolidated interface, users will be able to place calls, video conference or IM.

Those businesses that are already embedded with Microsoft technology may be interested in this product.  It has strong interconnections to Exchange, SharePoint and other Microsoft products.  For example, if a user’s calendar shows you have a meeting at 1 o’clock, the IM interface will automatically update your status based on your calendar.  Other integration points allow you to pick from your contacts and contact them via any one of the available methods.

Microsoft has also tacked the issue of E911 by detecting your location, solving one of the primary objections to soft phone technologies. Lync 2010 will be released officially in January. If you are interested in hearing more about this technology, please feel free to contact us at Colden Company at (518) 885-2857 or toll free at (888) 600-4560.

Microsoft Announces Security Essentials is Available for FREE for Small Businesses

Posted on: September 29th, 2010 by jiml | No Comments

Beginning in October 2010, Microsoft’s anti-virus protection suite, Security Essentials, will become available to small businesses on ten (10) or fewer PCs at no charge. The following link will direct you to the Microsoft press release:

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/Features/2010/sep10/09-22SecurityEssentials.mspx

Colden Company Inc. has tested this product and has been pleased not only with the protection that it provides but also with its minimal impact on system performance. While we have not always been fans of past Microsoft offerings in this space, we are not hesitant to recommend this particular offering. In addition, one of the top independent virus/malware protection software rating organizations, Virus Bulletin, awarders of the VB100 award, tested Security Essentials and gave it a positive review, further lending credibility to the product.

Some of you may ask what the difference is between Security Essentials and other free anti-virus programs such as AVG.   The free version of AVG is designed for personal use and not to be used in a commercial environment.   The following link brings you to the EULA (End User License Agreement) for AVG:

http://free.avg.com/us-en/avg-anti-virus-8-licence-agreement-eula

Most free software packages have similar restrictions.  Microsoft Security Essentials is a rare product that does indeed allow for commercial use of its free product (up to 10 PCs). Our opinion is that it is a great product for small businesses to protect against the ever increasing number of threats from viruses and malware.

If you have any questions on this product or other security solutions for your business, please contact us at (518) 885-2857, info@coldencompany.com, or on Twitter @coldenco.

Dell Stopping Sales of Windows XP

Posted on: September 10th, 2010 by billp | No Comments

Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system was released for retail sale on October 25, 2001. It has had its ups and downs, but overall it is one of the biggest client operating system success stories in Microsoft’s long-lived Windows franchise. However, change is inevitable and it is time for us to move on.

Effective October 22, 2010, Windows XP will reach its end-of-sales milestone. This means that Microsoft will not allow Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to sell computers pre-installed with Windows XP after that date. All new computers will ship with an edition of Windows 7. Please don’t confuse this with end-of-support, which will not arrive for Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) until April 2014.

In preparation for this deadline, Dell will no longer ship computers pre-installed with Windows XP after October 1, 2010. Dell will begin removing Windows XP as an option in September. While this particular announcement is from Dell, all OEMs will certainly follow down a similar path.

The bottom line is clear. If your business isn’t ready to integrate or upgrade to Windows 7, and you have computers that are in need of a refresh, now is the time to buy.

Windows 7 has proven to be an outstanding operating system and a solid successor to Windows XP for businesses of all sizes. If your business relies of software that is not compatible with Windows 7, Microsoft provides Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 Professional or higher. This feature provides a compatibility layer for software that isn’t ready to run on Windows 7 natively.

If you want to purchase new computers before the end-of-sales milestone, or you want to explore Windows 7 migration, or you want to learn more about Windows XP Mode under Windows 7, please contact Colden Company for help. We can be reached at 518-885-2857, info@coldencompany.com, or on Twitter @coldenco.