Official Windows XP support ends April 8th 2014; 40% of business PCs still running

Microsoft will end official support for Windows XP in exactly one year’s time, but those intent on keeping it alive may have to pay a small fortune for additional support.
Introduced in 2001, about 40 per cent of business desktops are still running Windows XP, according to new figures by application migration specialist Camwood.
"The message that Microsoft is switching off the lights for Windows XP is being received loud and clear by the IT community but it would appear that the business doesn't understand the perils of remaining on XP after 8 April 2014," said Camwood chief executive Adrian Foxall.
Although official support ends next year, that won’t be the very end, as those willing to pay between $200 and $500 a year will receive custom support. Gartner warns that custom support can double in price from year to year ‘as the product moves further away from the end support’.
So for those still running XP, now is the time to decided whether to begin a migration to Windows 7 or 8, or prepare to pay Microsoft for custom support.
Migrating from XP to Windows 7 could cost an upwards of $1,274 per desktop, reports Gartner. This is three times the cost of migrating from XP to Windows Vista.

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