Companies and organizations can buy a grace period from Microsoft and continue to purchase paid updates. By contrast, private users no longer have access to the security updates.
The Berlin city administration is one of the public institutions that did not make the switch to a modern operating system in time. In December, just under two thirds of the 82,000 IT workstations there had been converted to Windows 10. Experts assume that the state of Berlin will have to spend a six-figure sum on a separate support contract in order to keep the jobs that have not yet been converted running.
Businesses and government agencies are not only taking a higher risk ignoring the end of support for Windows 7 because it makes cyber attacks easier. According to experts, they also violate the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The EU directive requires that the “state of the art” be observed when processing and using personal data.
Companies as well as doctors or lawyers who process and store personal data act here against the GDPR if you continue to use Windows 7 or Server 2008, says expert Uhlemann. “In the case of data theft of personal data, the amount of fines imposed by data protectors will be correspondingly higher. Insurance companies could also refuse to pay here.
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