Windows 7 no longer fit for use in businesses: Microsoft

Windows 7, which has been around for barely 10 years, was no longer ''fit'' for use in businesses, Microsoft warned.

According to commentators, perhaps, with the intention of avoiding the fate of Windows XP, Microsoft Germany had been urging business users to upgrade to a newer version of the operating system, claiming Windows 7 was no longer ''fit'' for use in businesses.

Markus Nitschke, head of Windows at Microsoft Deutschland, mincing no words, stated that Windows 7 ''can no longer keep up with the increased security requirements'' of the mid-2010's.

''Windows 7 is based on long-outdated security architectures,'' he added and suggested that corporate customers ''transition to a modern operating system in time.''

The Register pointed out that the ''in time'' reference was to do with the impending retirement of Windows 7, which in, 2020 would cease to be supported by Microsoft, and lose even security updates.

However, pulling the plug on Windows 7 would likely prove to be a difficult task. Like Windows XP, it had its share of enthusiastic users and it was virtually ubiquitous in corporate environments. Also at 48.34 per cent, its usage share was nearly double that of Windows 10.

In the official Microsoft Newsroom, the company had warned Windows 7 users the ageing platform suffered from several serious failings including security deficiencies and hardware restrictions and reiterated that all support for the platform was ending.

''Today, [Windows 7] does not meet the requirements of modern technology, nor the high security requirements of IT departments,'' said Nitschke.

But Microsoft does not stop there. Microsoft said that sticking with Windows 7 would result in "higher operating costs" for users due to problems with reliability and compatibility. The company further warned that manufacturers were actively shunning Windows 7 and stopping driver support while the newest chipsets from AMD, Intel and Qualcomm were incompatible.