Microsoft Windows 7 – End of Life
Microsoft Windows 7 – End of Life
Microsoft will stop releasing updates and security patches for its Windows 7 on 14th January 2020.
From this date onward, Microsoft won’t offer help or support if you encounter any problems, which leaves you extremely vulnerable to any virus or other emerging security threats.
Without security patches, Windows 7 or, for that matter, any software component, will become critically vulnerable. It is not just the risk of a potential attack; but also about the liability shift to the owners of the devices - that is, the businesses and hoteliers that decided not to comply to industry and security risk requirements.
The above also applies to the operating systems Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2.
PCI-DSS Information
The Payment Card Industry (PCI) has created, and maintain a set of security standards that applies to any organisation, irrelevant of size, which accepts, stores, processes and transmits cardholder data. Hoteliers fall into these categories, and thus, need to ensure they comply with the PCI security standards.
One of the compliance requirements, PCI DSS 6.2, requires that “all system components and software must be protected from known vulnerabilities by installing applicable vendor-supplied security patches within one month of release.”
If an Operating System is no longer supported by the vendor, and security patches are not being released, PCI requirement 6.2 cannot be achieved unless potential risk of doing so is mitigated.
Upgrade to a supported Operating System
Migrating and upgrading your desktop/laptops and tills to Windows 10 will ensure improved operational processes security and speed and an opportunity to modernise your guest experience.
So, with less than 12 months to go, it’s best to start upgrading now since your business size, delivery methods, and resource scheduling can all impact the timeline for testing, validation and go live.
Avoid unnecessary costs, security threats and making the wrong decision because of time pressure. To find out if this affects your property and what you need to do, contact us here.