Microsoft stopped offering support for Windows XP since 2014, but some do not seem ready to renounce the outdated OS just yet.
From medical facilities to London's Metropolitan Police, many institutions still rely on Windows XP to get through the day, and London's finest still has no less than 27,000 PC rigs running on it.
The newest report coming from the Greater London Authority Conservatives points out that the Metropolitan Police is prone to losing important and substantial information about London residents should the department stick to the antiquated ecosystem.
For the moment, the police is throwing important sums at Microsoft's custom software support, so it can have its Windows XP systems free of cyber risks.
However, the report notes that the Brits are not the only ones who chose this strategy over upgrading. The Dutch government reportedly shelled out £1.4 million ($1.7 million) to Microsoft to keep its Windows XP licenses up to date in security.
Andrew Boff, a London Assembly Member, expressed some concerns about the financial strategy of the Met, pointing out that the institution should have upgraded the Microsoft OS in 2014.
"I would also like to know how much money the Met have wasted on bespoke security updates," Boff notes.
On the bright side, there are signs that the Metropolitan Police plans to part ways with the outdated XP.
In 2015, the department had 8,000 desktops revamped with newer OSs, and 6,000 more are scheduled to get the treatment in September. No details permeated about which Windows version will replace the XP, but it might be Windows 8.1.
Boff questions this choice as well, as the OS variant is neither the newest, nor the most user-optimized of Microsoft's releases. He goes on to say that staff has a higher chance of adopting Windows 10, and the latest OS will also receive updates for a longer period of time.
An overview of the existing Windows variants on the market shows that Windows 7 is still the king of the hill, with a 47.01 percent adoption rate, with Windows 10 falling next in line, with a 21.13 percent share. Windows XP trails third, at only 10.34 percent adoption rate.
Before Windows 10 rolled out, Windows XP variants were breathing down the neck of Windows 7, mainly due to the sub-optimal appeal of Windows 8.1 and Windows 8. The two OSs still have some fans, amassing 7.8 and 2.09 percent adoption, respectively.
When asked about its recommendations, Microsoft urges users to stop using Windows XP, as the system can no longer fight off security threats and new viruses. What is more, customers relying on the outdated OS usually stay faithful to the older version of Internet Explorer, which is unsecure and fails to work well with contemporary web-based technologies.
These are strong reasons for all actors, public or private, to upgrade to the most secure Windows version, which also happens to be the most recent.
Or if you are the London Metropolitan Police and you have a heap of gold to share with Microsoft, you can try to keep Windows XP alive for as long as possible.
Would you recommend other users to upgrade to Windows 10? Let us know in the comments section below.
