Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 End of Life

28/10/2019

Microsoft have announced that it will end the extended support of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 on 14^th January 2020.  This will mean that Microsoft will no longer be producing security patches to fix any newly discovered vulnerabilities.  PCs and Servers running the affected operating systems will continue to start and run but they may become move vulnerable to security risks and viruses.

NCI Technologies is already working with many schools to upgrade their existing PCs and Laptops to run Windows 10.  One of the features included with Windows 10 is the built-in hard drive encryption BitLocker, this is essential if you take your laptop out of the school.  BitLocker will encrypt your laptop so that if the device is lost or stolen the data is encrypted and not accessible.  This feature is not turned on by default, NCI Technologies can enable BitLocker for you and most importantly make sure that the recovery keys are securely located, for this reason we do not recommend that staff members enable this feature.

Your school may already be entitled to Windows 10 licenses if you have an active Microsoft Open Value for Education Solution (OVS-ES).  Now is the time to start planning your upgrade to ensure that your school remains safe and secure.  If you have any questions regarding your existing licenses or you want some advice regarding upgrading to Windows 10 please contact us.

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