Microsoft’s Unexpected Windows Boost,NHS will upgrading its PCs to Windows 10
The United Kingdom NHS (National Health Service) is still highly dependent on Windows 7, but things will change soon as the organization will be finally upgrading to Windows 10. In February, we reported that the NHS has only 1 percent and 3 percent of its systems on Windows 10 but it appears that the organization is ready to upgrade all of its systems to Microsoft’s latest OS.
While Microsoft is still releasing updates and security patches for Windows 7, the operating system is not as secure as Windows 10 and it will also reach the end of life in January 2020. Needless to say, there are a couple of reasons why the NHS should migrate to Windows 10 as soon as possible.
First and foremost, Windows 7 will no longer receive any updates and patches in 2020. Considering that NHS is a big organization, it needs more time to complete the upgrade to Windows 10 operating system and work with Microsoft to deal with the possible bugs. NHS is expected to accelerate the migration to Windows 10 in near future.
“We know cyber attacks are a growing threat, so it is vital our health and care organisations have secure systems which patients trust,” Jeremy Hunt, the Health and Social Care Secretary said.
Windows 7 has already caused major trouble to the NHS previously, and it certainly makes sense for the organization to upgrade to Windows 10. Needless to say, the migration process is complex as the organization could be using software incompatible with Microsoft’s platform.
Windows 10 is more secure than Windows 7, and Microsoft’s latest desktop OS was immune to the WannaCry attacks.
“We have been building the capability of NHS systems over a number of years, but there is always more to do to future-proof our NHS as far as reasonably possible against this threat. This new technology will ensure the NHS can use the latest and most resilient software available – something the public rightly expect,” he added.
Earlier this year, DH reported that 1 percent systems used by acute trusts and 3 percent used by mental health trusts are running Windows 10. Windows 7 is on 74 percent and 76 percent of the systems respectively.
NHS has already confirmed that it’ll complete the upgrade to Windows 10 before the end of support lands for Windows 7. The organization is working with Microsoft to reduce compatibility issues. Judging from the cooperation between Microsoft and NHS, there’s a chance that the migration will complete before the deadline and fewer challenges will be encountered.
The jump in sales of Window licenses came amid flat growth in PC shipments. Above, Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 on display at the CES annual tech show in Las Vegas. PHOTO: DAVID PAUL MORRIS/BLOOMBERG NEWS
A sharp increase in cyberattacks gave Microsoft Corp.’s MSFT 0.60% ubiquitous Windows operating system the kind of lift it hasn’t seen in years, as fears of getting hacked prompted companies to upgrade their computers faster than they otherwise might have.
When the software giant reported quarterly earnings last week, it surprised several analysts, notching an 11% jump in sales of Windows 10 licenses for computers sold primarily to corporate customers, from a year earlier. Bulk sales of Windows licenses and related cloud services, meanwhile, jumped 21%. Windows 10 is Microsoft’s most-current version of its operating system and used widely in computers world-wide.
When the software giant reported quarterly earnings last week, it surprised several analysts, notching an 11% jump in sales of Windows 10 licenses for computers sold primarily to corporate customers, from a year earlier. Bulk sales of Windows licenses and related cloud services, meanwhile, jumped 21%. Windows 10 is Microsoft’s most-current version of its operating system and used widely in computers world-wide.
Cyberattacks plagued corporations last summer, rendering PCs running older and unpatched version of Windows useless, leading some corporate tech buyers to upgrade.
The increases were especially notable, analysts say, because personal-computer shipmentsworld-wide had no growth in the same period, according to International Data Corp. Also, sales growth in the unit that houses Windows, called More Personal Computing, had been moribund for years.
The increases were especially notable, analysts say, because personal-computer shipmentsworld-wide had no growth in the same period, according to International Data Corp. Also, sales growth in the unit that houses Windows, called More Personal Computing, had been moribund for years.
Windows RisingWindows, a part of Microsoft's More Personal Computing segment, is benefiting from companies' fears ofcyberattacks.Change in More Personal Computing revenue from previous yearSource: the companyNote: Fiscal year ends June 30. Fiscal 4Q forecast is middle of company's estimated range
What’s more, Microsoft said revenue for the segment that includes Windows, an aging franchise whose epitaph has been regularly written, is expected to grow about 13% in the current quarter. The optimistic forecast for Windows comes as the company is downgrading the operating system’s importance.
Cedars-Sinai Health System in Los Angeles is close to completing its upgrade of nearly 20,000 computers to the nearly three-year-old Windows 10, said Darren Dworkin, the system’s chief information officer. Although the upgrade didn’t come about because of cyberattacks, Mr. Dworkin said he is worried about them.
“There are more reasons now for wanting to keep current,” Mr. Dworkin said.
The number of data breaches in the U.S. jumped 45% to 1,579 in 2017, according to the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center and data-security firm CyberScout. That is one reason why companies and government agencies such as the United Kingdom’s Department of Health and Social Care are upgrading at a brisk pace.
The WannaCry and Petya cyberattacks in 2017 highlighted glaring vulnerabilities of older and inadequately patched versions of Windows. The attacks, which locked digital files and demanded payment for them to be released, disrupted operations at the British health agency as well as car factories in France, a law firm in the U.S. and elsewhere.
In targeting older Windows versions, those attacks helped boost Windows 10 sales. The last time Windows registered comparable quarterly growth was during the “upgrade cycle” for Windows XP, a version of the operating system that made its debut in 2001, a spokeswoman said.
Microsoft, which doesn’t disclose dollar figures for Windows revenue, recorded 11% growth in sales of Windows licenses for devices sold primarily to corporate customers in the quarter ended June 30, 2014, as the company’s support for Windows XP neared its end. Support for Windows 7, which many corporations still use, ends in January 2020.
Windows also benefits from being the operating system of choice for corporate customers, said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with the research firm Moor Insights & Strategy. Some version of the operating system is on 88% of the world’s desktops and laptops connected to the web, according to analytics website NetMarketShare.
“There’s not an easy replacement for the Windows PC,” Mr. Moorhead said.
One reason for Microsoft’s upbeat expectations for the current quarter is that even though there are nearly 700 million devices—mostly PCs but tablets, Xbox machines and other devices—running Windows 10, there are another 800 million devices running older versions.
Corrections & Amplifications
An earlier version of the photo caption incorrectly said the device on display was a Surface Pro 2 laptop. (May 3, 2018)
Cedars-Sinai Health System in Los Angeles is close to completing its upgrade of nearly 20,000 computers to the nearly three-year-old Windows 10, said Darren Dworkin, the system’s chief information officer. Although the upgrade didn’t come about because of cyberattacks, Mr. Dworkin said he is worried about them.
“There are more reasons now for wanting to keep current,” Mr. Dworkin said.
The number of data breaches in the U.S. jumped 45% to 1,579 in 2017, according to the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center and data-security firm CyberScout. That is one reason why companies and government agencies such as the United Kingdom’s Department of Health and Social Care are upgrading at a brisk pace.
The WannaCry and Petya cyberattacks in 2017 highlighted glaring vulnerabilities of older and inadequately patched versions of Windows. The attacks, which locked digital files and demanded payment for them to be released, disrupted operations at the British health agency as well as car factories in France, a law firm in the U.S. and elsewhere.
In targeting older Windows versions, those attacks helped boost Windows 10 sales. The last time Windows registered comparable quarterly growth was during the “upgrade cycle” for Windows XP, a version of the operating system that made its debut in 2001, a spokeswoman said.
Microsoft, which doesn’t disclose dollar figures for Windows revenue, recorded 11% growth in sales of Windows licenses for devices sold primarily to corporate customers in the quarter ended June 30, 2014, as the company’s support for Windows XP neared its end. Support for Windows 7, which many corporations still use, ends in January 2020.
Windows also benefits from being the operating system of choice for corporate customers, said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with the research firm Moor Insights & Strategy. Some version of the operating system is on 88% of the world’s desktops and laptops connected to the web, according to analytics website NetMarketShare.
“There’s not an easy replacement for the Windows PC,” Mr. Moorhead said.
One reason for Microsoft’s upbeat expectations for the current quarter is that even though there are nearly 700 million devices—mostly PCs but tablets, Xbox machines and other devices—running Windows 10, there are another 800 million devices running older versions.
Corrections & Amplifications
An earlier version of the photo caption incorrectly said the device on display was a Surface Pro 2 laptop. (May 3, 2018)
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