Ready or not, come April 8, 2014, Microsoft will execute the Windows XP lifecycle end

According to the IDC report, the annual cost to support a Windows XP-based PC averages $870, compared with $168 for a Windows 7 system. Even if the differences are not so extreme in your organization, the costs associated with supporting older systems cannot be ignored. And once Microsoft has pulled its support, those differences are likely to increase because more time will needed to protect those systems, keep them running and integrate newer technologies.

After Microsoft ends support of Windows XP, it will no longer provide software updates for the operating system (OS). Of greatest concern are the security fixes that protect against malware such as viruses and worms. According to Microsoft's Security Intelligence Report, Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) -- the only version still receiving security updates -- is over twice as vulnerable to infections as the 32-bit version of Windows 7 SP1 and nearly three times as vulnerable as the 64-bit version.