In 2002 Microsoft introduced its Support Life-cycle policy based on customer feedback to have more transparency and predictability of support for Microsoft products. As per this policy, Microsoft Business and Developer products, including Windows and Office products, receive a minimum of 10 years of support. Support for Windows XP and Office 2003 will cease on April 8, 2014.

This means if your business is currently using Windows XP or Office 2003 then you should be planning on upgrading your systems before April 2014. After April 8, 2014, there will be no new windows updates for both XP and Office 2003, which means that there will be no new security patches or any kind of support for these products whatsoever. Running Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 in your environment after April 2014 will mean that your system will be highly exposed to any new security threats that hackers can find and exploit in XP and Office 2003, below are just some of the issues you will likely experience:

• Software: Just as is the case for Windows 98 and Windows 2000 now, driver releases for new hardware that comes out will start to become non-existent for XP around or slightly after the April 2014 timeline.
• Hardware: Customers who purchase new hardware even for otherwise fully capable systems may start to run into compatibility issues.
• Security & Compliance Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks.

As a Microsoft Certified Partner Mad Computer Solutions can help you understand the best options to meet your personal and business needs. There are many options for small and medium businesses considering moving to a modern Operating System or PC with the latest productivity and collaboration tools.

If you are currently running Windows XP or Office 2003 in your business and you haven’t given any thought of upgrading your systems yet, I would suggest you start piecing together a plan as soon as possible, as whatever size business you are, you will need to ensure that you have budgeted for such an upgrade to your business infrastructure.

As always, if you require any advice, help or support in planning or implementing such an upgrade, please feel free to give us a call on 0845 272 2373 and see how we can help you and your business.

Data is at the heart of businesses, it’s crucial for you to protect it. To protect your organization’s data, you need to implement a data backup and recovery plan. Backing up files can protect against accidental loss of user data, database corruption and hardware failures.

Imagine that you are using your computer at work when suddenly all of the lights go out and the computer shuts down. After a few minutes the power is restored. You reboot your computer only to find that an error message appears. It tells you that a fatal error occurred, and that some important data, let’s say your accounts for example has been either lost or corrupted. Situations such as this happen all too often, the good news is that there are key safeguards, one of which is data backup which will protect from such circumstances.

The reasons of data loss can fall into these main categories;

• Human error – deleting information from a PC by mistake, the misplacement of DVDs, CDs or media, and errors in administrating databases.
• Intentional Crimes – acking, H  Hacking, viruses, data theft and espionage.
• Natural Causes – Power failures, hardware failures, software failures, software bugs and also any kind of disaster such as a fire or flood.

With a little preparation, individuals and businesses can rest easy that if catastrophe strikes, they can be well prepared to recover and be back up and running in as little time as possible.

Mad Computer Solutions can provide you and your business with professional cloud online backup services in order to ensure that your company’s data is secure and can be recovered in the event of hardware failures, natural disasters or any other kind of problem.

Backup is just one part of ensuring the safety of your business when something goes wrong. If you want to ensure that your business is completely protected and capable of recovering from any kind of ‘disaster’ then why not have a look at our disaster recovery planning service.