1 Forrester Research, Inc. Navigating Diversity in Operating Systems and Browsers. April 22, 2013.

Still on XP? You’re not alone.

Facing Your Operating System’s End of Life?Google Can Help.As the countdown to Windows XP’s end of life continues, some IT departments may find themselves on shaky ground. On April 8th, 2014, after more than a decade of powering many of the world’s computers, Windows XP will officially retire and stop receiving updates and security patches. If your organization has yet to finish migrating all of its computers, you may be concerned about the following:

Security vulnerabilities. After April 8th, Windows XP PCs will no longer receive the patches and updates that protect them from threats, including viruses, spyware and malicious attacks. This leaves remaining XP users at risk of compromising sensitive corporate data or customer information.

Application compatibility. Upgrading existing applications for a new OS may require lengthy and complex coordination with vendors and developers. Your business may feel “stuck” because employees need certain XP desktop applications or web-based applications built for older versions of Internet Explorer.

Budget constraints. With application upgrades and the possibility of new hardware needs, the cost of moving off of Windows XP can escalate quickly. Custom support solutions that help deliver XP security updates after April 8th are costly—not to mention an unreliable long-term fix.

Technology shift. Today’s information workers use an average of 9.6 web applications to do their jobs. This new way of working requires IT to evaluate their users’ readiness for cloud applications and support multi-device habits and workflows.

Take a deep breath—there’s no need to panic. If temporarily running an unsupported OS is in your future, we have some suggestions to help you reduce security risks and maintain your employees' productivity. Ultimately, you can turn this challenge into an opportunity and develop an IT strategy that stands the test of time.

Global Windows XP Usage

As of September 2013.Data provided by Net Market Share.

April 82014

Windows 7

46%

Windows XP

31%

Windows 8

8%

Other

15%

1

Web-based applications. Many organizations are turning to the cloud for solutions that scale swiftly and easily, update automatically and don’t have built-in expiration dates. Products like Salesforce and Zendesk help teams collaborate quickly and efficiently across multiple devices and locations. Explore the Chrome Web Store for more business apps.

Google Apps for Business. With Google's cloud-based productivity suite, employees can collaborate and get their work done more easily, no matter where they happen to be or what OS or device they happen to be using. If your company currently relies on Microsoft Office 2003, which will no longer be supported after April 8th, you can use Quickoffice to open and edit your old files on mobile devices.

Chromebooks. Google’s new laptops are fast, secure and always up-to-date. Chromebooks are easy to manage and provide an optimal platform for modern business web apps and VDI solutions. Businesses have found Chromebooks to be particularly appropriate for employee and customer kiosks, mobile workforces and call centers.

As you guide your organization into its next phase, wouldn’t it be great to stop the constant cycle of upgrades, new systems and end of life countdowns?

Step 2: Future-proof your IT

If your organization will be running an unsupported OS after April 8th, 2014, here are some steps you can take:

Step 1: Protect your PCs

Get Chrome for Business. Switch to a modern, supported browser with built-in malware and phishing protection, sandboxing and auto-updates. Google will continue to support and issue the latest security fixes for Chrome on XP machines until April 2015, allowing your employees to browse more safely.

Prioritize key resources. After April 8th, computers still running XP could fall victim to hackers exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities. Identify which users and applications are most essential for compliance and business revenue or most vulnerable to security breaches. Focus your budget and resources accordingly during your OS migration.

Harden Windows XP systems. Prevent and monitor configuration drift on the desktop. Implement network-level controls by placing remaining XP devices that do not need access to the public Internet on a restricted network or VLAN. Eliminate unnecessary software and remove administrator rights to ensure that restricted users can’t install applications or plugins.

Consider VDI. With virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions such as Chrome RDP, Citrix and VMware, your users can launch legacy applications from a server and access them from a supported browser like Chrome. Use VDI and Chrome for the limited number of XP systems you’ve isolated on a restricted network or VLAN.

Google Apps for Business

Google Apps offers simple pricing: $50/user per year.Learn why 5 million businesses are running on Google Apps at www.google.com/apps.

Gmail: Email with Google-powered search, up to 30GB of storage, offline support, custom email addresses and much more.

Docs: Create, share and work on documents, spreadsheets and presentations with your whole team in real time.

Quickoffice: Access and edit Microsoft Office files on mobile devices.

Calendar: Easily schedule meetings at times that work for everyone, get meeting reminders and share calendars.

Drive: Store your files in the cloud, share them and access them from anywhere. Up to 30GB of storage (and more if you need it).

Hangouts: Messaging, voice conversations and video meetings. Meet with up to 15 coworkers or customers from your laptop, mobile phone or tablet.

Chrome for Business

Dual browser management. Still use web applications built for older versions of Internet Explorer? Set Chrome as the default browser and use Legacy Browser Support to limit which sites should launch in IE.

20%

30%

40%

50%

Sept 2013Sept 2011

Centralized control. Configure Chrome to fit your organization’s needs by applying more than 100 policies governing updates, compatibility, applications, extensions and more.

Windows XP support. Until April 2015, Google will contin-ue to support and issue security fixes for Chrome on XP machines. Protect your employees and company from malware and phishing attacks.

More than 750 million people use Chrome browser.

It’s free to deploy and manage Chrome for Business.

Global Chrome Usage

Learn more at www.google.com/chrome/work.

Data provided by StatCounter Global Stats.

Today’s employees want to work the way they live, accessing tools and documents from anywhere and on any device. With April 8th fast approaching, there’s never been a more pertinent time to consider cloud-based solutions like Chrome, Chromebooks and Google Apps—whether it’s for your mobile workforce, your cloud-ready teams or your entire organization.

Google can help you explore your options.Call us at 1-866-954-1565 or email no-more-upgrades@google.com.

By giving our sales team Chrome devices to run cloud applications like Salesforce, Jive and Google Apps, we save money on hardware and support while avoiding the painful

upgrade cycles that IT departments typically face. It's nice knowing that for many of our users, our Chrome deployment was the last OS upgrade we'll ever do.”

— Mark Ridley, Director of Technology at reed.co.uk

“

Chromebooks

With Chromebooks starting at just $199, your budget will thank you.Visit www.google.com/chromebook/business to learn more.

Easy to set up and manage. Centrally set up and manage users, apps and devices across your entire business from the web-based management console.

Built-in security. Chromebooks automatically stay up-to-date with the latest security fixes, so there’s no need for additional anti-virus software or manual maintenance.

Great for virtualization. Access critical desktop applica-tions in a virtual environment. Chrome RDP, VMware and Citrix offer web endpoints for Chrome and Chromebooks.

Works offline. Chromebooks support hundreds of apps that let you stay productive when you’re disconnected from the web, including Google Drive and Gmail.