Posted May 7, 2019 in Business, Dental Tech
SK’s main goal is to keep your practice safe and running smoothly, so we feel it is important to explain an upcoming, industry-wide technology change that will affect you.
Below is a quick 2-minute video from Sal as well as some additional information related to the Windows 7 End of Support announcement:
What’s Happening?
Microsoft announced the “end of support” of its Windows 7 and Server 2008 computer software products beginning January 14th, 2020.
This means that, on this date, Microsoft will cease to issue security-patches commonly known as ‘Windows Updates’ for these versions of its computer and server operating systems.
What is affected?
Any individual PC-towers running Windows 7, or any Server running Server 2008.
What does this mean?
Without any more ‘Windows Updates’ being regularly available from Microsoft, your network will increasingly become more vulnerable to malware and virus attacks.
This will result in network environments that are more prone to both safety and HIPAA compliance risks.
Viruses and malware are most commonly introduced through normal daily activity such as clicking links in emails, opening email attachments, or browsing the internet.
When a virus or instance of malware is present, the consequences range from minor when isolated to an individual PC-tower to severe when affecting production up-time, data-breach, and data-loss.
What can We do?
The ideal solution is to proactively address the PC-towers with these older Windows versions, either by upgrading the version of Windows or thru replacement of the equipment.
The specific strategy will vary depending on a number of factors such as PC age, and dental software and imagery tools compatibility with more recent versions of Windows.
Top 3 Common Questions:
1) What if I am not prepared?
Don’t panic. This does NOT mean your network will cease to function!
We anticipate many people will be unable to act on this change immediately.
So, there are simple protections and measures SK will take to provide you a level of added safety until you are able to address these concerns.
However, the ideal solution is to eliminate these Windows versions from your network as soon as possible.
2) Can I just update my existing PCs to Windows 10?
This may be an option in certain situations. However, there very likely could be compatibility issues related to other tools and programs such as practice management software, imaging software, cameras, sensors, etc.
3) What’s Next?
The SK Team is systematically approaching all our customers with recommended next steps.
If you’d like to be prioritized sooner, feel free to email us using sales@sktechgroup.com to speed up the process to receive your specific recommendations.
Your Team at SK Tech Group
