While nine out of ten people (okay, I just made this figure up) would say that staying on an abandoned operating system, like Windows XP, is flirting with danger, there are some who suggest otherwise.
An analyst for Ovum that goes by the name of Richard Edwards is the odd one out, then.
If anything, he recommends that everyone should consider their options when it comes to Windows XP, suggesting that a fully patched system will not be quite as vulnerable to attacks as Microsoft and other security companies would like users to believe — not for the short term, at least.
Talking to ITP.net, the analyst said that users still stuck on Windows XP for one reason or another are not without options — particularly keeping in mind the fact that saying goodbye to Windows XP could be a very costly decision.
Meaning sticking to the old operating system past its retirement date may not be too bad an idea:
“Organizations should consider how their IT budgets might be invested in more innovative projects. First of all, if we assume that Windows XP systems have the latest patches, fixes and up-to-date security software installed (and that Internet Explorer 6 has been replaced with a more modern web browser), then there is no reason to believe that life after 8th April 2014 will be any different than before it.”
Microsoft, on the other hand, obviously has different views. Executives from the software company have, on more than one occasion, outlined the need for users and businesses to upgrade to a newer OS.
In fact, other security companies also hold the same view that Windows XP would come squarely in the eyes of cybercriminals once the 11-year-old operating system reaches its retirement. Hackers and other such villains would be waiting to exploit an opportunity like this.
And to be fair, if something is found, it is not unreasonable to expect that they would pounce on it, considering the fact that millions upon millions still use the vintage OS.
Windows XP is, after all, the second most popular operating system in the world, and currently commands a 38 percent market share worldwide.
