With the skyrocketing advancements in technology, it’s time we bid goodbye to old but robust and reliable means we once used. And that is very necessary for technological evolution to prosper. Such was the premise when Microsoft ended support for Windows 7 on 14th January 2020 (after 10 long years!)
Basically, after 14th January 2020, you can continue to use Windows 7 on your PC but the essential IT support services cannot be availed anymore. Microsoft will not offer
While you can still run Windows 7 on your PC, the experience will not be seamless. Due to the lack of security updates and fixes, your PC will have a higher probability of being “infected” by viruses.
For doctors and medical practitioners of all fields, a hassle-free, smooth and secure IT support services is paramount to keep the well-oiled medical machine churning. Neither performance nor security can be compromised. But upgrading from Windows 7 is no easy task.
All of this creates disturbances that automatically reflects on the productivity of the workplace.
For practitioners in the USA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule calls for updated patches on all systems. Microsoft will terminated this for Windows 7 post 14th January 2020 unless you have chosen to pay for Extended Security Updates(ESU). Failure to adhere to the aforementioned points will lead your practice to be non HIPAA compliant.
Lastly, Windows 10 offers compatibility mode for applications and programs that were designed for earlier versions for Windows. Here, you can change settings for the program and run it on
A comprehensive list of the above can be found here.
Using compatibility mode for medical practices is however not recommended. The programs and applications being used are older iterations. As mentioned earlier, this poses an array of IT support services problems and security issues.