Windows XP: The Legacy Lives On

The end of mainstream support by Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) for Windows XP ended on April 14. That deadline came and left with barely an audible groan from the minions of enterprise, small business and consumer users of the decade-old operating system.

The steadfast legions of corporate Windows XP users -- and the Microsoft Office 2003 suite that also is no longer supported -- are not facing any dire consequences for not migrating to Windows Vista and the Office 7 suite, however. No doomsday alarms have sounded, and there have been no predictions of computing chaos like those that warned of Y2K.

Microsoft will continue to provide critical security patches for both software products until 2014. For mission-critical enterprise systems, Microsoft will continue to provide support under corporate contracts. So, unless a business entity ignores network security standards and other safe computing practices, no doom-and-gloom system failures are bound to occur.

"The end of mainstream support is not a call to hysteria or panic for corporate customers," John Biglin, CEO of Interphase Systems, told the E-Commerce Times. "Instead, it is a signal to the corporate staffs to plan for the next 12 to 36 months."

What's the Rush?

Enterprises did not jump on the Windows Vista bandwagon, due to early compatibility and usability issues -- and first impressions made lasting ones. Whether that will happen with Windows 7 is a matter of debate. Meanwhile, the enterprise isn't feeling much urgency to abandon Windows XP.

From the corporate customer's perspective, Windows XP represents a comfort zone. Most businesses are still on Windows XP, Biglin noted, adding that a few of his clients are still using Windows 2000. Interphase Systems is a management and technology consulting organization that assists clients with planning and managing their business strategies and operations.

Windows Vista is a resource hog. By comparison, Windows 7 is much more efficient. Much of the hardware that currently runs Windows XP just fine would need memory and other component upgrades to handle Vista. That need will not disappear for Windows 7, according to Biglin.

Money Issues Either Way

From a business standpoint, migrating to Windows 7 -- even without its compatibility and usability concerns -- will still impact corporate budgets. Paying for Microsoft technical support, if and when it is needed, may influence companies to stay with Windows XP as long as possible.

From a business point of view, an operating system upgrade can cost US$400 or more per computer, plus labor. A price tag of $800,000 -- plus technical costs -- is not uncommon. Many corporations balked at spending over $1 million to do the upgrade to Windows Vista, Biglin recalled.

"CIOs have to look at the ability to raise the bar by moving to Windows 7. There are compelling reasons not to move. It is very much a logistics and project-planning issue and very much a financial issue," he said.

Ticking Clock

Even for enterprises that are comfortable with Windows XP and have no real need for hotfixes from Microsoft to keep their existing configurations working, it will be just a matter of time before they'll need to abandon a 10-year-old operating system. However, Microsoft may have made the job of migrating to Windows 7 even more of a hassle for big organizations with hundreds of computers, since it built the new OS with no upgrade path from Windows XP.

Once the decision is made to upgrade, IT departments may have to first roll Windows XP into Windows Vista and then upgrade to Windows 7. The only other option would be to jettison legacy hardware and start all over with a new OS deployment -- or not migrate at all.

"It's time to move on from XP after 10 years," said software engineer Jackie Trillo, director of Internet marketing and technologies at Pristine Public Relations.

"It will be easier for small businesses like mine to switch over 10 PCs in the office," Trillo told the E-Commerce Times. "It will be a much bigger task for large organizations."

The marketing firm Trillo founded is still using Windows XP and Windows Vista but is preparing for eventual migration to Windows 7. She expects to see mainstream adoption of Windows 7 -- but maybe not right away.

XP users will have to make significant adjustments to the new operating system, predicted Trillo.

The biggest obstacle in the process, she said, will be getting used to Windows 7 without the familiarity of Windows Vista.

Dissenting Views

Not everybody still using Windows XP will be making the move to Windows 7 any time soon, though. Some users, like Trillo, are ready for the move. Others are less sure about switching OSes.

For many enterprise customers, moving to Linux is not an option, said Interphase Systems' Biglin, because of perceived or real compatibility issues with must-run Windows applications.

There has been an uptick with Mac deployments, though, he said, noting that some of his clients are experimenting with Mac compatibility.

Yet it's possible that a large contingent of diehard Windows XP users will hang on, suggested John A. Scharfglass, president of CompuGeeks; XP is still around because it works.

"I don't believe you are going to see Windows XP go away once Windows 7 comes out," Scharfglass told the E-Commerce Times. "Even though Microsoft won't be supporting XP, most companies are not going to be so quick to spend money on upgrading to Windows 7. Once Windows 7 comes out, it's too great of a chance for a company to upgrade due to cost -- and the possibility that something will go wrong, or that there will be compatibility issues with third-party software."

On the other hand, international spirits company Castle Brands avoided the upgrade to Microsoft Vista but plans to migrate to Windows 7 as soon as the first service pack is available to ensure that all the bugs are gone, said Andre Preoteasa, director of IT for the firm. Meshing with Microsoft's latest server technology is the issue.

"What is important to understand is the coupling between server architecture and the desktop operating system," Preoteasa told the E-Commerce Times. "For example, Windows XP works well with Windows Server 2003. The same -- theoretically -- goes for Vista and Server 2008."

Some Options

The refurbished computer market may offer the best hope for businesses and consumers who want to stay with Windows XP and not have a problem adding to their computer inventory.

A rush to replace aging hardware will be the force that drives away Windows XP, predicted Interphase System's Biglin.

About 20 to 25 percent of companies that routinely replace hardware every year delayed the purchases for the last two years to avoid Microsoft Vista, he said.

However, companies that want to stay with Windows XP and even add to their bank of computers running the aging OS can do that through the Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher Program (MAR), which was activated in November of 2007.

The MAR program "authorizes me to cleanse the hard drive of corporate computers and install a licensed copy of Windows XP Pro for sale on refurbished computers," said Bob Houghton, president of Redemtech, one of the early companies to participate.

The essence of the program is to permit continued use of Windows XP. The license includes software registration with all normal online support for drivers, etc., Houghton told the E-Commerce Times.

Most enterprise licensing allows customers to continue imaging existing XP installations, he pointed out. This MAR program also provides an avenue for businesses to upgrade their hardware with legitimate software rights and remain on Windows XP.

Two Versions

"Large enterprise accounts are buying refurbished computers to supplement their existing equipment," said Houghton. "This helps deal with constrained budgets. We are selling a lot of these refurbished computers back into enterprise organizations. It is a great way to squeeze budgets and still get all the functionality."

Redemtech is one half of a two-division operation keeping Windows XP alive after the cutoff of mainstream support. Redemtech is an enterprise brand; its sister company, Red Rabbitt caters to consumers.

The starting price point for a refurbished desktop PC is $99 retail . A rough rule of thumb is that the refurbished machine is priced for one-third to one-half the price of the computer model when it was new, said Houghton. The refurbished Windows XP computers come with a genuine Microsoft license, a warranty of 90 days to 1 year, depending on the sales terms, and help desk support.