COMPUTING & IT RESOURCES
Cyber Security: Windows 7 and Office 2010 End of Life Is now the time for your school to make the switch to Office 365?
security updates. Office applications will still work but like Windows 7, users may be exposed to increased security risks. Therefore, it's important that schools think about moving to the latest software such as Office 365, which can provide the up-to-date security updates to help keep you and your school data safe.
What are the security benefits of moving to Office 365? As more organisations move to the cloud, the misconception that data stored in a privately controlled datacentre would be safer than data stored in the cloud is disappearing. There are a broad range of security features that users will benefit from when utilising a cloud service, such as Office 365. Microsoft built in robust anti-malware and anti-
spam protection to Office 365, providing a safe, secure environment where your staff can work and students can learn without any fear of their data or system being compromised. Office 365 has numerous security and
O
n January 14th, 2020 Microsoft stopped updating or providing support for Windows
7. With millions of workstations still running the 10-year-old operating system, the question is: how big of a security risk is it to schools and what options are available? All products have a set life cycle and
Microsoft’s are no exception. When a new product is introduced, support is often discontinued so that the company can focus on new technologies. Microsoft made a commitment to support Windows 7 and Office 2010 for 10 years following their release and with Windows 7 already at the end of its life, Office 2010 will reach end of support on October 13th 2020.
What are the implications for schools that don’t upgrade to Windows 10 or Office 365? Windows 7 heading in to end of life is highly significant because it is a very popular and widely used version of the Windows operating system, with a recent report stating that 32.8% of computers running Windows are still using Windows 7.
Security risks There are serious security concerns if any of your school’s devices are still using Windows 7, as you will be exposed to increased risk from cyber threats and more susceptible to malware attacks.
gone, your system could become an easy target for the new computer viruses and malware being created. In April 2019 alone, Microsoft patched 29
vulnerabilities in Windows 7, 6 of which were rated critical and the remaining 23 rated important. Attempts by hackers to find vulnerabilities in Windows 7 will see an increase as they know any flaws found will never be fixed with a patch. Microsoft will continue to investigate flaws in
Windows 10, and more recent versions of Office. Cyber criminals can work backwards from these disclosed vulnerabilities within the patch to figure out where the flaw is and how to exploit it. There are many shared components between the different versions of Windows and Office, so it is likely that the same flaw will also exist in previous versions of the software, which will not have received the patch and remain vulnerable.
Compliance risks As well as the security risks of continuing to use unsupported software, there is also a good chance you will violate any compliance frameworks that apply to your school. For organisations required to be compliant with industry regulations, as soon as you have unsupported software in your network, your organisation becomes non-compliant. If you’re using an operating system that is no
Windows 7 users are still able to use the
operating system, but Microsoft will no longer offer support and will stop issuing updates or patches of any kind. These updates are designed to fix vulnerabilities that have been identified and are being used by hackers. With those updates
longer receiving security updates, you are not protecting personal data and will be found in breach of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which can involve large fines and legal fees.
Office 2010 End of Life After October 13, 2020, if your computer is running Office 2010, it will also no longer receive
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www.education-today.co.uk February 2020
compliance features that you can use to keep your data safe and comply with data privacy and governance regulations. The multi-factor authentication that Office 365 offers adds in a further layer of protection to the log in process, meaning that it is more secure than most other cloud services. Often, an organisation’s security issues are
caused by human error, where staff may make mistakes that put their company’s data or systems at risk, through carelessness or even because they do not have the required training to teach them how to behave appropriately and to protect the organisation they work for. Office 365 addresses these issues by automating many simple tasks and cutting down the risk of user error, as well as providing organisational guidance on how to protect your devices from hackers and malware. Data loss can happen for many reasons, but
the different impact losing work on a classroom computer when compared to the school server is enormous. Backing up your school data is hugely important, which is why Microsoft have included automated data back-up services in Office 365.
There’s no denying that Office 365 now provides a secure integrated suite of products, so is now the time for your school to make the switch to Office 365?
Get in touch with Cantium’s solutions team to discuss Windows and Office products for your school.
u03000 411 115
uinfo@cantium.solutions
ucantium.solutions
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