The Final Countdown: Windows XP Headed to OS Life Support Today

Today marks the official last day of support for Microsoft’s longest lasting operating system as Windows XP will no longer receive support. The 12 year old Windows favorite is still running on nearly 30% of PCs, which will undoubtedly cause issues.

As a warning to all Windows XP users, you should not be receiving any updates or downloads from Microsoft regarding Windows XP with the exception of antimalware support. According to a recent post “Microsoft will continue to provide updates to our antimalware signatures and engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015. This does not affect the end-of-support date of Windows XP, or the supportability of Windows XP for other Microsoft products, which deliver and apply those signatures.”

While antimalware will continue to be supported, this is more of an emergency measure for the remaining XP users that have still not upgraded. Microsoft continues to recommend using modern software with up-to-date security technology. Remember, Windows XP was launched in late 2001 and has been surviving on major security updates over the past dozen years. The main security framework behind the updates is still ancient for technology standards.

Many people continue to use Windows XP due to the fact that third party security features are available and the switch to Windows 7 or 8 will take too much time. While you could get away with utilizing these third party options, the global end date will spawn severe hacking threats. XP users were already under attack this past winter, adding more stress to the Windows system that is “…6 times more likely to get attacked than Windows 7 users…”

While April 9^th will not bring any type of “XP Apocalypse” after the media undoubtedly blows the end of life story out of proportion, there will be a day in the near future when the first of many Windows XP vulnerabilities will be revealed. The best thing you can do to prevent an attack is to begin your upgrade immediately. Microsoft is supporting antimalware through next July just for this reason. Until then, protect yourself with third party applications. Again, those will be temporary solutions. To begin your upgrade, you can contact us to get started.

What Anti-Malware Support News Means for Windows XP Users

Microsoft still plans to retire Windows XP on April 8^th. However, they will also continue to provide updates for the operating systems’ anti-malware support until July 14, 2015. While this will be helpful for organizations running a little behind on their migration, it does not mean that Windows XP will continue to be a reliable system past April 8^th.

Windows XP has had a great career as Microsoft’s longest-running operating system, beloved by the majority of users. While support could end completely in April, as planned, Microsoft instead decides to keep its star lingering, like an athlete in decline at the end of their career. There will be an increasing number of holes to fill along with increased vulnerability to hackers.

The anti-malware update will keep Windows XP pulse alive, but more as an emergency procedure to ensure organizations are able to transition. It is critical that organizations make the move as quickly as possible. On a blog post from Microsoft’s Malware Protection Center, they explain that “…research shows that the effectiveness of antimalware solutions on out-of-support operating systems is limited. Running a well-protected solution starts with using modern software and hardware designed to help protect against today’s threat landscape.”

After April 8^th, Windows XP “…will no longer receive new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates from Microsoft.” The migration process should be a priority for any organization running Windows XP.

SBS Group can help and to get started, we are offering a 10% discount on the service charge when you complete your migration off of Windows XP by 3/31/2014. Please contact Tyler Bowman at tbowman@sbsgroupusa.com to get started and for more information, you can register for the Migrating from Windows XP webinar this February.

 

What’s New with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013? – Mobile Capabilities

One of the most, if not the most, expected releases from Microsoft this year was Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013. This Dynamics CRM overhaul was aimed at making the program cleaner, faster, and more intuitive. Primarily, making CRM easier for the user.

We’ve already discussed the improved navigation and enhanced communication features. Now we’ll take a look at CRM outside of the office, focusing on the highly-touted mobile capabilities. Microsoft’s goal is to create a consistent user experience across all devices.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 is available now for Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone, with more comprehensive features on the iPad and Windows 8 mobile applications. The Mobile Client App (MoCA), allows for personalized tiles on the start screen, and all controls are touch-friendly.

While on the go, the major processes that are supported in the mobile app are filtering and Business Process flows. Searching and adjusting basic information (contact information, dates, account, etc.) is simple as all it takes is one touch to drill down or open an activity. Of course, a true mobile application has to include a call feature. The Mobile Client App is both phone and e-mail aware. When starting a call, an activity window opens up to allow the user to take notes.

Want to take a look at more specifics on the mobile capabilities? Eric Bookcock, Microsoft’s Senior Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, dives deeper into CRM for tablets and phones here:

Only a few months into the lifecycle of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013, there are still dozens of features, tips, and tricks that can be learned. SBS Group offers Dynamics CRM 2013 in our “Up in 2” program. We can get your organization up and running on Dynamics CRM 2013 in just 2 weeks. You can contact us from more information and look for more posts on Dynamics CRM features, tips, and tricks.

What’s New with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013? – Enhanced Communication

One of the most, if not the most, expected releases from Microsoft this year was Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013. This Dynamics CRM overhaul was aimed at making the program cleaner, faster, and more intuitive.

We previously discussed a few of the improved navigation features. Also a focal point for simplifying customer relationship management is enhanced communications.

One significant step towards simplifying communication is the addition of Quick Create Forms. Simply click the Quick Create icon and a form will display with a customize subset of fields to fill out. Any record type or activity can be created, and the process does not disrupt the current record you are viewing. This allows for more multi-tasking and eliminates the clutter of unnecessary fields. Here’s a quick tutorial from Microsoft:

With the integration of Yammer, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 now displays a ‘Social Pane’ that automatically shows generated posts from CRM and Yammer. Now on a record’s homepage there will be a running history of CRM generated posts, such as when the record is created or updated, and any user generated posts, such as a support request or activity note.

Only a few months into the lifecycle of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013, there are still dozens of features, tips, and tricks that can be learned. SBS Group offers Dynamics CRM 2013 in our “Up in 2” program. We can get your organization up and running on Dynamics CRM 2013 in just 2 weeks. You can contact us from more information and look for more posts on Dynamics CRM features, tips, and tricks.

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Dynamics CRM 2013 is Available! 10 Things you need to Know

After more than two weeks into the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 era, customers are now beginning to start planning for their CRM 2013 adoption. To help prepare for user adoption, SBS Group will be hosting the second part of our CRM 2013 webinar series on Thursday, December 12^th, from 2-3pm EDT.

For additional preparation, take a look at a few of the “10 Things You Need To Know for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013”:

1. “Because this is a major platform update CRM Online customers will be able to choose a suitable time when this will be applied to their live database within a 90 day upgrade window.”
2. For on-premise CRM 2011 customers CRM 2013 will also include the enhancements from the earlier Polaris cloud release in January 2013.”
3. “Early adopters of the Polaris UI encountered restrictions when attempting to migrate CRM form customizations that involved custom code. For CRM 2013, Microsoft has stated that all supported CRM 2011 scripting and customizations will be migrated and supported when moved to the new UI. However, no legacy CRM v4 API customizations will be supported in this process.
4. Free mobile apps for iPad and Windows 8 tablets have been released as part of the CRM 2013 update.
5. In built duplicate detection during create and update processes won’t be supported for the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM user interface on standard or bespoke entities. As a result, if you require individual duplicate detection for any record type this will need to be handled through another route.”

Many of these topics were covered in our first Dynamics CRM 2013webinar, which you can view here. For more information you can contact us and be on the lookout for more information on the CRM 2013 release.

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