To those who like to have the latest technology in their offices and at home, you can probably skip today’s tip, which could easily be called EOL (end of life) or how old is too old.
From the non-security, 30,000 foot view, a system has reached its end of life when it no longer performs the tasks you need it to in an acceptable period of time. From the security standpoint, it’s when:
- An end user avoids installing updates because the system’s hard drive is out of free space or there’s a warning that resources are low or insufficient
- The system can’t be updated
- The system has a security vulnerability that can’t be patched or mitigated, and acceptance is out of the question
If you’re still using XP and it’s not because you need it for a legacy app that’s irreplaceable, then it’s time. For everyone else, today ask yourself, “Is my system compromising my productivity as well as my security?”
Keep in mind that those old PCs can be recycled. Many bottom-of-the-closet-PCs have found new life in recent years as perfectly good Linux workstations.