To mark the one year remaining on the Windows XP support clock, Microsoft steps up its upgrade warnings and advice and offers a 15 percent upgrade discount for SMBs. I thought the only companies still running Windows XP on PCs were small law firms and dental and optometry offices. But you’d be surprised how many businesses of all sizes are still running the 12-year-old operating system. According to market share tracker, Net Applications, Windows XP still owns 39 percent of operating system market share. And a recent survey of 250 CIOs, CTOs, IT directors and IT managers in the UK revealed that only 42 percent of companies have started the migrating off Windows XP to Windows 7 or Windows 8 or both. At the same time, 82 percent of these survey respondents said they are aware of Microsoft’s plans to shut down support for Windows XP a year from today on April 8, 2014. After 12 years Windows XP is way more prevalent than Microsoft wants it to be, and with many companies still dragging their feet, the company is issuing frequent reminders to upgrade ASAP. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe To mark the “one year left” countdown, Microsoft published a blog post today with warnings about the end of XP support and advice on how to migrate. The warnings and advice are probably nothing you haven’t heard before – XP was not build for today’s devices and security threats, Windows 7 and Windows 8 are faster and more secure – but it serves as an important reminder that migrating off Windows XP takes longer than many IT pros think and staying on XP can put a business at risk. Read the Windows for your Business blog post for more details on migrating from XP to WIndows 7 or Windows 8. To provide even more incentive, Microsoft also announced an offer for small and medium-sized businesses currently running Windows XP Professional to get a 15 percent discount when they buy Windows 8 Pro and Office Standard 2013 together. Eligible customers must be running XP Professional. Windows 8 Pro and Office 2013 Standard licenses must be purchased as a package through Microsoft’s Open License program, and 100 licenses are the limit for each customer. The deal is available now through June 30. Related content opinion Last Words Before Closing Eye on Microsoft By Shane O'Neill Jun 05, 2013 3 mins Small and Medium Business Tablets Windows opinion With Rumored Reorg, Microsoft Tries to Simplify The mounting pressure on Steve Ballmer to streamline Microsoft is finally leading to some action. By Shane O'Neill Jun 03, 2013 3 mins IT Strategy Cloud Computing Computers and Peripherals opinion What You Need to Know About the New Lync and Skype Integration Audio calls and instant messaging are officially integrated between Lync and Skype, but no video connectivity yet. Here are some key points for users and IT admins about the new Lync-Skype connection. By Shane O'Neill May 29, 2013 3 mins Small and Medium Business Internet VoIP opinion Microsoft Should Leave the Competition Out of Ads Microsoft is in no position to disparage Google and Apple in TV ads, yet it keeps doing it. A new ad for Microsoft Surface turns inward and gets it right. By Shane O'Neill May 23, 2013 2 mins Small and Medium Business Tablets Internet Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe