TerraCloud Predicts Increasing Issues for Business XP Users

According to TerraCloud, Inc, a leading provider of cloud-based and on-premise technology solutions based in Central Florida, the tip of the iceberg is looming large for business users of Windows XP trying to navigate the way forward in technology. While the impending drop of support for XP from Microsoft in April 2014 appears to provide some time to respond, recent application vendor actions are painting a direr picture: the practical end of Windows XP is near. Smart business and IT leaders are planning, and acting, now to reduce risk and reap the productivity benefits of new platform options.

"With each new wave of technology comes the business challenge of knowing when to wait and when to move," said Walt Wilson, technology industry veteran and executive vice president of TerraCloud. "Moving from cards to terminals in the early 1980's or to PC networks for serious business applications a decade later met with the same reaction as we see with people today who've been happy with XP for the past 10 years. 'Why?' and 'This is unnecessary' were the early reactions, replaced by 'How quickly can I get this done?' when the benefits achieved by others became clear. Often followed by panic when the old systems began to die. That's where we are with Windows XP."

Evidence of this began to build over the past few weeks, presaged by Microsoft's announcement during the summer that Office 2013 would not support Windows XP. Then in mid-September, Google announced that it would drop support for all Internet Explorer versions supported by Windows XP effective November 15th of this year. A few days later, Adobe announced that future versions of its popular Photoshop product would also not support XP. Adobe product manager Tom Hogerty stated "We encourage all customers who are currently using Windows XP to begin making their migration plans now so they can fully take advantage of future Photoshop innovations as soon as they are available." (Source: http://blogs.adobe.com/photoshopdotcom/2012/09/photoshop-and-windows-xp.html)

TerraCloud advises business to have realistic action plans in place as soon as possible. Some of those plans include assessing current PC hardware for readiness to upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows 8, or evaluating whether desktop virtualization is the best path forward.

"For some large and small businesses, non-profits, and government agencies the best plan is to buy new PC hardware, taking advantage of competitive price points for desktops and laptops that are pre-installed with Windows 7," Wilson commented. He also noted that other organizations may benefit from the lower capital investments and reduced operating costs made possible by using cloud servers to provide "virtual Windows 7 desktops" on existing hardware or inexpensive "thin client" devices.

For most organizations, internal or external IT expertise will be critical to determining the right upgrade program. This includes more than just an assessment of desktop computing requirements-all the other puzzle pieces like servers and network devices need to be evaluated to ensure that the final result meets expectations.

To learn more about new alternatives to Windows XP that can be used to streamline business technology and protect vital information assets, contact TerraCloud today or visit www.terracloudinc.com for more information.

About TerraCloud

TerraCloud combines innovative cloud-based delivery with onsite experts to enhance our customers' IT infrastructure, applications, and processes. Based in Central Florida and serving customers across the country, TerraCloud meets the requirements for cost-effective advanced solutions of small businesses, government agencies, and Fortune 500 enterprises. For more information, please go to: www.terracloudinc.com.

TerraCloud is a trademark of TerraCloud, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.