Reply by Neil McLachlan from Co Serve Consulting on Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 - 17:15

Although you will need to manage the Windows XP issue in the near future, more information is necessary to map out a meaningful path forward from here. We offer a free initial assessment of ICT use for not-for-profit organisations. Please call and we can discuss things more fully. Neil McLachlan | e :: neil@coserve.com.au | t :: 02 4782 6917 | f :: 02 4782 7815

Reply by Colin Thompson from TechBrain on Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 - 17:30

Hi There Dash Inc. The upgrade might not even be necessary as, while Microsoft do stop support for XP, it will still operate...so don't be scared into thinking you have no choice. If you DO need to upgrade for application support, then you can buy Windows 8 from Connecting UP (http://mig1.cisa.asn.au/donations/microsoft/microsoft-windows-8-pro-64-bit-get-genuine) for $9 and even downgrade it to Windows 7 if you want. I am happy to give you advice on your options if you want....no strings attached :) Give me a call on (08) 6323 2284. Regards Colin Thompson Community @bluenetworks.com.au http://www.bluenetworks.com.au

Reply by Jason Ross from ethiSEC pty ltd on Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 - 20:48

Hi Dash Inc, While Colin is correct XP will continue to work when support stops it does put your organisation at risk to Viruses, Malware, Spyware etc. While AV software will provide a degree of protection it isn't the answer regardless of what you have been told. The most cost effective way of keeping your network secure IMO is to have a fully patched and supported operating systems and applications running on all PCs, Windows XP does not meet this any longer IMHO. My advice is to purchase some Windows 8.1 and Office 2013 licenses from Connecting Up and upgrade all of your PCs as soon as possible. This will buy you some time to work out what you want from your IT systems. Depending on what you are doing a server may be a good starting point for you. A well setup server will let you share documents and printers from a centralised machine, you will also be able to implement group policy(GPO) and windows software update services (WSUS)to help manage your PC's. Once again you can purchase server 2012 R2 OS from Connecting UP very reasonably, you'll only then need to purchase some hardware to run this on. Before you talk to anyone, my suggestion is: 1. Think about what you want your IT systems to deliver. 2. Look for an IT person/Company that is prepared to work with you to deliver what you need, not what they want to sell you. 3. Make sure you implement an effective and tested backup solution. 4. Invest in IT security, a $100 firewall and free AV is not a security solution. HTH, Jason Ross EthiSEC 1300 67 22 75 jason [at] ethisec . com.au

Reply by Steve Bungay from Envision IT on Thursday, 15 May, 2014 - 19:40

Dear Dash Inc. Following from the above, please find below what all will involve effort or costs: 1. Windows XP Upgrade to Windows 8 and then downgrade to Windows 7 2. New PCs that can run Windows 7. This may involve upgrading Monitors as well. 3. You may like to upgrade the network as well. This may be left for a later stage. Most important however are: 1. Running your current applications on Windows 7. You may need to upgrade them e.g. MS Office, Adobe, MYOB, and your NFP specific software. This may involve migration of data or things such as migrating email accounts to Outlook 2013. 2. Training your users on Windows 7 and New applications. This would involve a downtime and a ramp up time. To get started, you will need to create an inventory of all the software applications you use. You can do it by yourself or call any of us i.e. Colin, Neil or myself for this. It is very important to be prepared for all costs and after effects.