Is your technology a little out of date?

Not long ago, one of our crack Efficio IT guys told me that I was a complete loser for having my home computer on Windows XP. Ok, he didn’t say I was a COMPLETE loser, but in that way that IT guys have, he made me feel like I was almost completely computer-challenged.

Actually, he is right. I have always loved that Saturday Night Live skit in which the sales person is having some computer problems, and the IT person says in exasperation, “MOVE!” and sits down and begins pounding on the keyboard with fingers flying. The IT guy rolls his eyes, stands up and says “There!” Voilà. It is fixed.

As there is most often truth underlying SNL skits, I am sure I am not alone in my belief that the IT team thinks the media sales team is a bunch of morons, because not only can we not understand the most basic code, we can’t even log on half the time.

So why am I a complete loser for not paying attention to the fact that Microsoft will not support Windows XP after today?

I don’t know.

• I DO know that there won’t be updates or patches from Microsoft any longer, and should you have a Windows XP related problem, you are SOL. Whatever a patch is, I don’t know.
• I DO know that hackers are waiting for this day, because your Windows XP machine will be less secure. How much less, I don’t know.
• I DO know that malware and viruses can more easily get through. How to protect yourself, I don’t know.
• I DO know that I have known about this in my periphery field of attention for a long time. Why I didn’t pay attention until now, I don’t know (ok, this one I DO know...I am deadline-oriented.)
• I DO know I don’t know what to do and that I need to go hat-in-hand to that IT guy and ask for advice.

I am betting some of you are going OH CRAP or HUH? Either way, I will ask one of our IT guys for YOU, too. Watch this space for a blog from one or our Efficio software experts with answers to these questions and a few you didn’t even know to ask.

Just don’t ask me. I don’t know.

By Kitty Malone, Efficio Solutions Manager of Client Services