For the past 12 years, Microsoft has provided support for the Windows XP operating system. But that era is coming to an end on April 8 as the company announced it will be directing its focus on providing support for more current technologies.

If your business is still running Windows XP, you’re not alone. According to recent research, about 30 percent of all operating systems in the world are Windows XP. Nonetheless, since XP first saw the light of day in back in 2001, Microsoft has since released Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.

In addition to providing support to the four post-XP systems, it’s likely that the Redmond, Wash.-based corporation doesn’t want to rest on its laurels and will continue to engineer new operating systems. So while the decision to stop supporting XP is likely frustrating to many users, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

While computers running XP will still be fully functional come April 9, users should keep in mind the fact that the periodic updates and security patches Microsoft has released in the past will cease. That means that as hackers uncover additional system vulnerabilities—something that is all but guaranteed—those holes in security could be exploited by viruses and malware.

So if you’re a business owner whose company is still running Windows XP computers, what can you do to protect yourself? Well, you’ll need to upgrade your operating systems to a newer version of Windows, likely Windows 8.1. But what does that mean for the applications you run on XP? Will they be compatible with 8.1?

That remains to be seen, and every situation is unique. Because you can’t gamble with the security of your network or whether it’s running smoothly, it’s imperative that you take preemptive steps in order ensure a seamless transition occurs when you upgrade your systems.

Is your business still running Windows XP? Contact Apex Technology Services to learn more about how you can upgrade your infrastructure without worry. For more information, click here.