Relying on end-of-life technology carries substantial risks that can put your business model in jeopardy. In order to deliver reliable service to customers and ensure that their sensitive data is safe, you need technology that is up to the task. While waiting until the last minute to replace hardware and/or software may be viewed as a cost savings measure, technology that is unsupported and can’t be fixed in a timely manner should something go wrong could ultimately cost you more than you bargained for.
Are you risk? Microsoft has announced the end-of-life for Windows 7 desktop operating system and Windows Server 2008 technology in January 2020.
A client of ours is a premier transportation and fulfillment services provider who has built their business on the premise that there is no substitute for human guidance and availability. Focusing on the human touch unarguably makes them stand out from their competitors and allows for building and nurturing relationships with customers. But humans still need to be equipped with relevant data to provide real-time information to clients. In this industry, the staff needs to be reliably and constantly connected to shipment details to provide a positive customer experience.
Our initial assessment of the company’s infrastructure revealed several issues. Their servers were old and over-utilized, and they were running some older unsupported operating systems including Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. Several servers were also critically low on disk space. We recommended consolidating servers, and moving to the cloud for higher availability, lower capital investment and greater flexibility. Additionally, we recommended they replace workstations with outdated Windows XP and Windows 7 Operating Systems to improve performance and efficiency. Because their servers and business-application were in the cloud, the new workstations were basic and did not require a large investment.
Additional Security Risks to Consider
Another security risk uncovered during our assessment was that their passwords were set to never expire. We recommended that they review security permissions and put a policy in place to create strong passwords and change them frequently.
To further mitigate risk, we upgraded their end-of-life Internet firewall which improved their security.
Fulfilling on your promise to customers
The nuts and bolts of providing service are often similar for companies in the same industry; in this case, shipping, routing, documentation, clearing and forwarding may all be performed with equal skill by many providers. One way for a company to differentiate is in the area of the customer experience. End-of-life technology carries substantial risks for a company to become unable to provide the level of service they built their business on. Our client now has the technological support they need to fulfill on their promise of personalized guidance and 24/7 accessibility.
Learn more about replacing your end-of-life Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 technology here and reduce your risk today.