What do April 8, 2014 and Microsoft have to do with you?  A whole lot if you’re still using Windows XP or Microsoft Office 2003.  4/8/14 is the final day for support of these two Microsoft products.  It’s only a few short months away, is your business ready?

Now is the time to take action, not only to save yourself support issues in the future, but if you’ve been looking for some extra tax deductions, replacing these aging computers may help you increase your Section 179 deduction for 2013.

Look around your office, are there any computers still running Windows XP or Office 2003?  If so, it’s time to change these systems over to something new; considering the changes in how we utilize technology since you originally purchased these machines simply replacing them may allow for a noticeable boost in productivity.  If may also give you the reason you’ve been looking for to move away from a per license Office 2013 to the subscription based Office 365.

When Microsoft announces an end of support date like this, what does it really mean for those who’d rather not make the move to something newer?  The most important implication comes from Microsoft no longer providing patches and updates, leaving them vulnerable to outside threats and attacks.  Your systems will be unprotected from emerging threats, threats which have grown in frequency in the last year.  For a business computer what this means is an increased risk to your customer and proprietary data and that’s one of the last announcements any company ever wants to send out – “We’re very sorry to say, but your personal data may have been compromised…”

As  you look to the future and the need for upgrading your computers keep in mind both your existing programs and their compatibility as well as any servers you have.  If you don’t currently have a Technology Replacement Strategy in place,  now would be the perfect time to implement one.  Below are some general guidelines if you’re not sure where to begin with creating this a replacement strategy for your business.

[whohit]XPandOffice2003[/whohit]