Marching Orders 2014: Windows XP Migrations Will Be a Frenzy
As part of RCP's annual 2014 "Marching Orders" feature, we asked channel insiders to share their insights into what partners need to do to get ready for the new year. Harry Brelsford, CEO of SMB Nation, shares his tips.
Here's the good news: I predict that Microsoft won't extend the
April 8, 2014 deadline for extended support for Windows XP, all of the Microsoft 2003 server products (including Small Business Server) and Office 2003. Why is that good news? We're dealing with humans. Most customers won't be motivated to migrate until the April 8 deadline arrives and passes.
Much of the evangelical outreach we're conducting in the fourth quarter of 2013 to properly plan for an orderly migration before the deadline is great air cover. The real ground war will start in the second quarter of 2014. And that's good news for partners over the next year. Starting now, you can stake out a leadership position on this migration work. It's good work and, if you buy into my thinking, it's essentially mandated by Microsoft as a "must do."
By the numbers, the Windows XP migration opportunity is easy street. First, discover which of your existing clients have Windows XP assets in their IT infrastructure. Then, use customer-facing events like Microsoft Community Connections to acquire new customers for this work. It could add more than $50,000 per technician to your bottom line in 2014.
Posted on January 02, 2014