Windows XP Still Runs on 74% of Company PCs In the UK

The reasons for Windows XP’s survival are still not that well known. As good as the OS is, it is extremely dated and most modern consumers find the OS a little tired, dated and lacking in functionality compared to newer operating systems like Windows 7 and Windows 8.X. It appears the reason for Windows XP’s survival can be put down to its success in the business and enterprise sectors. New research conducted by Vanson Bourne and security company Bit9 + Carbon Black suggests that a whopping 74% of computers owned by business in the UK still run Windows XP. From a business perspective that seems like a particularly risky decision given that the official support date for Windows XP ended on April 8th 2014 and Microsoft no longer provides security updates or fixes for the OS unless people purchase expensive extended support packages.

The main reason for the persistence of Windows XP in the OS market comes down to cost. Many businesses simply do not have the resources or time to invest in migrating to a newer operating system. Even with third party antivirus, antimalware and firewall packages Windows XP computers still remain open to operating system level vulnerabilities. Given that 25% of desktop computers globally run Windows XP it can be assumed that the percentage among general consumers is much lower than that given that percentage among business users is still so high.

Source: Softpedia

Image courtesy of Microsoft