Die-hard users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 were forced to say goodbye to the venerable operating systems recently when Microsoft held to its product end-of-life schedule and stopped supporting both OSes on January 10, 2023. This was not a sudden change. This EOL was a long time coming.
In fact, in a recent blog post, Microsoft explained that, in reality, “Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020 and Windows 8 went out of support on January 12, 2016.” However, some updates continued to be pushed via Microsoft 365, but now even basic security updates have ceased. Besides Windows 7 & 8, “Support for Windows 8.1 ended on January 10, 2023. After that date, if you’re running Microsoft 365, you’ll no longer receive updates for the Office apps; this includes feature, security, and other quality updates.”
Who was using Windows 7 Anyway?
That is important to a lot of organizations. Some may be scratching their heads wondering who is still using those outdated operating systems introduced in 2009 and 2012. But there are plenty of systems still in use that were developed with those OSes, and it’s not always easy to update them. Many manufacturers rely on production line controllers running older operating systems. Same with hospitals and healthcare providers using medical devices like patient monitors and other gear. Even the U.S. Department of Defense is running these operating systems on equipment currently in use.
We still like to cite the excellent work Qlik did with killing its popular Repliweb data management software. Early notice and continued communication ensured every customer had plenty of time to find a Repliweb replacement (and we have had the privilege of working with many former users that have selected Diplomat MFT as the best available replacement for Repliweb).
Turn Out the Lights
Even the most popular products can outlive their useful lives. It makes sense to move on when a new generation or innovation demands it. Keeping customers apprised of plans to end support for a product is important, and Microsoft has clearly kept on top of this issue with persistent communications. We believe strongly that is a responsibility any vendor has toward its customers. Bungling the transition from an obsolete product can have disastrous consequences for organizations unaware of problems.
This raises another issue on product end-of-life. There are times when a company doesn’t technically bring a product to its natural end, but they neglect a product and show disregard to their customers by not updating the product. While happy to renew contracts and cash recurring revenue checks, there’s no re-investing in the product with updates and innovations. For example, we noticed neither TIBCO nor SolarWinds have updated their managed file transfer software products in more than two years. Why is that?
During that same time the MFT industry has seen some of its biggest players like JScape, Globalscape, GoAnywhere, and Ipswitch lost to mergers and acquisitions. Prices have gone up, choice has gone down, and instead of capitalizing by adding new features and capabilities, these companies are content to do little or nothing at all.
Coviant Software Continues to Improve and Innovate
Coviant Software has not been complacent. We have added an SFTP server to our product portfolio; we issued a major upgrade, including data replication and file synchronization, with Diplomat MFT 9.1; and we added our Edge Gateway to complement our Diplomat MFT and SFTP server to give our customers an end-to-end solution under one brand.
That is in addition to our continued investments in providing the industry’s best customer support and our commitment to offering ethical, transparent pricing so that you know what you’re getting and at what price. No sneaky business. Just straightforward information so you can make your best decision with no surprises—and without sacrificing performance. Diplomat MFT delivers enterprise-grade performance at a price that makes sense.
If you’re looking for a long-term managed file transfer partner with a commitment to innovation, why not book a review of your current approach and see if one of our products meets your needs. We’re confident you’ll like what you see.
