Yesterday I had an opportunity to host a Twitter Chat with folks from Dell and Microsoft to talk about migrating to a more modern Windows operating systems.

The OS out there creating a lot of concern is Windows XP because the end of its life cycle is scheduled for April 2014 and that OS still accounts for 33.7% of the machines on the Internet according to NetMarketShare (August 2013).

When support ends for Windows XP that means no more security updates and fixes for other vulnerabilities from Microsoft and that could put your organization at risk.

One of the things that was acknowledged as a hindrance to moving from any current OS to the newest one is the change itself.  There are also costs associated with upgrading OS’s including the expense of purchasing modern hardware to run that new OS.

There were a lot of resources shared during the chat that will help you look at your options, plan the migration and execute it.

Below you will find links to those resources and some others for your perusal. If you have any to add please comment on this post so they will be included as well.

#OSMigration Resources

The idea behind the chat today was to start the dialog and get everyone thinking about this change that needs to happen soon.  The next step is to take a look at the above resources and start making your own plan to move your organization forward.  With April 2014 only seven months away time is critical as that deadline approaches.

If you have further questions or concerns about your plan I recommend reaching out to @DellSMBUs on Twitter or via email at DellSMBUS@Dell.com to ask how you can make this migration work best for your company.

Note: I was compensated by Dell for hosting the chat as well as my time involvement before and after however, all of the opinions are mine.