Thinking about upgrading to Microsoft Office 2013 but still running Windows XP? Well, the 12-year-old operating system is reaching the end of its life, as Microsoft will stop supporting it next year, so why not upgrade all your software at once with a discount?
Microsoft is offering savings to small business customers who upgrade to both Windows 8 and Office 2013.
"Microsoft's latest upgrade campaign is aimed at these small/midsize business Windows XP users is using cost savings as a way to try to convince them to move ahead of the April 8, 2014, end-of-support (EOS) date. SMBs running Windows XP Professional who are willing to go Windows 8 can get a 15 percent discount on Windows 8 Pro and Office Standard 2013 edition pricing between now (April 8, 2013) and June 30, 2013. (The offer is available on up to 100 licenses of Windows 8 Pro and Office 2013 Standard,)" writes ZDNet.
Microsoft is making the pitch on several new sites designed to ease the transition and quickly move the 38.7 percent of desktop users still running Windows XP to more recent operating systems.
"This is your opportunity to see how 10 years of innovation in both Windows 8 Pro and the new Office (either Office 365 or Office 2013) can help your business. Enhanced security, mobility, productivity, flexibility -- there are so many great reasons to get modern," Microsoft says on its transition page.
"While end of support for Windows XP is still one year away, the migration process can take some time and may be costlier the longer you stay on Windows XP, ultimately putting your business at risk. The security landscape is ever-changing and new threats are coming to fruition every day, so it is critical that businesses ensure they protect their data and IP against the latest threats by deploying a modern Windows platform," Erwin Visser writes on the Microsoft blog.
Upgrading software is a necessary evil. May as well do it with a discount.