Windows XP will go out of official support in less that one month. On April 8th Microsoft will cease updates to the operating system, though security will continue to stay current for the next year, through Security Essentials. The company actively works to move both individual users and corporations off of the aging OS, but IT departments and families are far from the only concern in this case.
The fact is, Windows XP is behind the scenes in many places you may not suspect, thanks to Windows Embedded powering ATMs, cash registers and various other devices that we interact with everyday.
A new report claims that ATMs will continue to run the outdated system for sometime past the expiration date, costing the companies more money — a cost that will likely, in some way, be passed onto the customers. “To ensure the machines are protected against viruses and hackers many banks have agreed [to] deals with Microsoft to continue supporting their ATMs until they are upgraded, extra costs and negotiations that were avoidable, but are now likely to be a distraction for bank executives” reports Reuters’ Matt Scuffham.
The fact is, Microsoft admits that many large companies have not yet moved on from Windows XP. In fact the report claims 95-percent of today’s automated teller machine’s are still powered by Windows XP. There seems no rush to change this either — Reuters states “JPMorgan, which has 19,200 ATMs, will start converting its machines to Windows 7 in July, with a goal of finishing by the end of the year”.
This is simply one more problem that will perpetuate itself after April 8th. However, Microsoft will continue to support these embedded systems, though doing so for a fee.
Further reading: Windows XP
