Tech Data UK is calling on UK resellers to redouble their efforts to persuade customers to upgrade their Microsoft operating systems and productivity suites, identifying the forthcoming end of support for Windows XP and Office 2003 as a major opportunity to drive software and hardware upgrade business.
Microsoft will cease to provide extended support on Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 on 8 April 2014, a little over six months away, so customers still using this version of the operating system and/or software suite will need to start thinking about their options, says the company.
Gemma Horsell, Microsoft business manager at Tech Data UK says the end of support could trigger a surge of upgrade business: “There are numerous options available to customers, and they will probably want to take this opportunity to consider what type of client devices they will want to use over the next few years. Most organisations have become much more mobile since they installed XP and Office 2003, and many will now also have tablet devices in use as well as laptops. Depending on their needs, they may want to consider moving to a mix of Windows 7 and Windows 8, and making use of Office 365 as well as Office 2013.”
The software choices they make may also affect which type of PC systems they buy, she notes. “When users step up to more current version of Windows and Office, it will also be the ideal time to upgrade their hardware. It’s thought that as many as one third of business PCs could still be running Windows XP, so the potential for upgrade business could be very big indeed.”
Tech Data UK is running an awareness campaign promoting the upgrade potential to its customers though a series of emails and events. It is also preparing an incentive scheme aimed at encouraging more partners to take the message about the end-of-support dates for Windows XP and Office 2003, to their customers.
