Microsoft wants Windows 7 users to move forward and upgrade to Windows 10 because the 2009 operating system “does not meet the security requirements of modern systems.” The company will cut all support for Windows 7 in 2020.
The software giant announced the move on Monday through a post published by Markus Nitschke, head of the Windows division at Microsoft Germany.
Other than safety, the main argument to upgrade early to Windows 10 is to ensure a smooth transition, different from past experiences with Windows XP. To this day, some users and companies still use the outdated OS, and Microsoft does not want that to happen again with Windows 7.
Microsoft is giving security top priority with Windows 10
Windows 10 introduced a number of safety features that marked a vast improvement over old versions of the iconic PC operating system, and Microsoft continues to enhance system security with regular updates.
Windows Defender got even better with its Advanced Threat Protection, now integrated into the recently revealed Windows Defender Security Center. The last build released to members of the Insider program also showed enhancements to Firewall settings and privacy options.
Additionally, just last week the Microsoft team announced that Windows 10 could deal with zero-day exploits without issuing patches. That, on top of Windows Hello for accessing devices, makes the OS a way safer option than Windows 7.
Corporate users should transition to Windows 10 ASAP
Microsoft emphasized the importance of data safety in today’s world, urging business clients and companies still using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 to adopt Windows 10 before they regret it.
“Windows 7 is based on long-outdated security architectures. Corporate customers, in particular, should deal with the transition to a modern operating system in time,” Nitschke wrote in his post.
Along with governments and other prominent organizations, companies are the main target of hackers and cyber-attacks. Microsoft, naturally, does not want to be associated with incidents due to customers’ negligence.
Another reason for businesses to make the jump to Windows 10 is its vast support for apps and the robust catalog of corporate solutions that it offers through the Office 365 ecosystem. Most of them are developed to work better on Windows 10.
How to upgrade to Windows 10 for free today
Microsoft gave Windows 7 and 8 users the chance to upgrade to Windows 10 for free for an entire year, but there is still a way to get the latest OS version through Microsoft itself: It is free to download for customers who use assistive technologies.
On Microsoft’s website, you can upgrade now to Windows 10 if you use any software assistance, including voice text-readers, on-screen keyboards, and other tweaks that adapt to users with any impairment.
The loophole is, though, that Microsoft does not check if someone truly has a disability before letting them download Windows 10 for free so that anyone can do it.
Source: Microsoft / Windows 10 upgrade
