https://www.theinquirer.net/w-images/73120245-079e-4942-9774-c7bd8803d3ef/2/Windows7-580x358.jpg — Windows 7 reaches end-of-life status in little over a month

More than half of NHS devices are still running Windows 7

And 20 per cent of Trusts have no plans to upgrade

09 Dec 2019, 10:48 by INQUIRER staff

NHS TRUSTS are still running Microsoft's soon-to-be-defunct Windows 7 operating system on more than 20,000 devices.

That's according to cloud computing firm Citrix, which obtained the information through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request. The request was sent to 98 NHS Trusts across the UK, of which 77 responded.

As per the FoI, 52 per cent of the total 447,000+ devices being used in the NHS, including desktops, laptops, and tablets, are still running Windows 7, which reaches end-of-life status on 14 January 2020.

That's despite the fact that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) last year announced a £150m plan to upgrade all NHS systems to Windows 10 by the time that Windows 7 reaches the digital graveyard. However, it's worth noting that the NHS is an E5 licence holder, which means it'll get an extra year of Windows 7 support for free.

Back to the FoI, and 78 per cent of NHS organisations say they are currently working to migrate their systems to Windows 10 within the next six months, and a further six per cent of Trusts are considering migrating in the near future.

23 per cent of the trusts responding to the FoI request said 10 or more applications they use on their systems still need remediation to ensure ease of use and stability when moving to Windows 10.

Fewer than a quarter (23 per cent) said they had already deployed or were planning to deploy cloud or virtualisation technology to help migrate from Windows 7 to Windows 10. The use of these technologies will help NHS Trusts in centralising the management of desktop environments, thereby leading to a more efficient and cost-effective migration.

"The NHS is unquestionably dedicated to delivering first-class patient services," said Matt Smith, Director, Public Sector, UK & Ireland, Citrix.

"Yet prolonged austerity is putting it under even more pressure to do more with less.

"Given the additional security considerations that come with outdated technology, migrating to Windows 10 within the 'next six months' could be too little, too late. Ensuring IT infrastructure is up-to-date and secure is necessary to both better support NHS staff in their day-to-day jobs and ensure first-class healthcare services in the UK."

While the use of Window 7 in such large numbers across the NHS worrying, it's made huge strides since July, when the Department of Health and Social Care revealed that over 1 million NHS computers were still using Windows 7. At the same time, it fessed that NHS Trusts are still using more than 2,000 PCs running Microsoft's long-defunct Windows XP OS. µ

More than half of NHS devices are still running Windows 7

And 20 per cent of Trusts have no plans to upgrade

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