As Windows XP comes to the end of its natural life on 8 April 2014, thousands of applications that run under the old operating system will need to be upgraded for a move to Windows 7 or 8. The majority of commercial applications are available in newer versions of the Windows operating system, and users simply need to stay current. However, some businesses may find that they are unable to do so for various reasons, perhaps because they have been developed in-house, or are one of the few commercial applications that don’t have an upgrade path to Windows 7 or 8. In these instances, what are the options when it comes to applications that can’t be upgraded? How can businesses overcome issues associated with legacy apps when upgrading the rest of their applications to Windows 8?

1. Tackling
Enterprise
app incompatibility
By Arif Mohamed

2. Page 2 Tackling Enterprise app incompatibility
How businesses can overcome issues associated with legacy apps when upgrading to Windows 8
AsWindows XP comes to the end of its natural life on
8 April 2014, thousands of applications that run under the
old operating system will need to be upgraded for a move to
Windows 7 or 8.
The majority of commercial applications are available in
newer versions of theWindows operating system, and users
simply need to stay current. However, some businesses may
find that they are unable to do so for various reasons, perhaps
because they have been developed in-house, or are one of the
few commercial applications that don’t have an upgrade path
toWindows 7 or 8.
In these instances, what are the options when it comes
to applications that can’t be upgraded? How can businesses
overcome issues associated with legacy apps when upgrading
the rest of their applications toWindows 8?
There are several courses of action available - none of
which match up to upgrading the hardware and software
infrastructure to take advantage of the latest technology!
Windows 7 and 8 are simply more powerful operating
systems thanWindows XP, and like most software, they run
best on modern hardware.The latest Intel processors offer
64-bit quad-core computing that spells high-performance
applications and greater levels of employee productivity.
However, for business that absolutely have to continue
running particularWindows XP programs, it is possible to
continue running those legacy applications under a locked-
down version ofWindows XP, or in a virtualised environment,
and gain some functionality from them.
There are some larger enterprises and governmental
organisations that run many thousands of mission-critical
Windows XP machines and are not able to upgrade them in
time as Microsoft officially ends its service and support.
Some of them have chosen to continue running their
Windows XP desktops and laptops, whilst paying Microsoft
for Custom Support, which includes ongoing security patches.
However, this may be expensive for most small and medium-
sized businesses as it starts at around £120 per desktop and
doubles in cost each year.
Although legacy applications will continue to function as
they always have, the reality of extending the life ofWindows
XP software is that the security risks increase whilst the system
becomes less and less compatible with modern peripherals
and applications. Software manufacturers will focus their
attentions on the latest versions of their products, and away
from maintaining or securing existing enterprise applications.
Consequently,Windows XP users face present and future
incompatibility and a lack of product development for existing
applications.They also stand to miss out on the performance
and efficiency gains that the latest operating platforms have to
offer.
Nevertheless, some businesses will choose to maintain
their ownWindows XP systems without Custom Support
from Microsoft or their partners.This can be a viable option if
they are able to runWindows XP separate from the rest of the
IT system, and have the technical expertise to maintain and
manage their legacy applications.
Products are available to help with this, such as AppSense
Application Manager.This can lock down a current supported
XP environment, preventing any further executables or
applications running without the system administrator’s
approval.
Security Alert
Security is a major concern when it comes to legacy
applications. Running vulnerable systems that could
potentially expose customer data in regulated markets can have
repercussions in terms of legal and industry compliance.
Windows XP may become a target for hackers as Microsoft
ends its security updates, so systems must be kept watertight to
mitigate risks.
Windows XP’s email and web browser clients in particular
are likely to be the main vectors for attack from malicious users,
so businesses are advised to limit or block their access to the
Internet.
Tackling Enterprise app incompatibility

3. Page 3 Tackling Enterprise app incompatibility
It is a good idea to add extra protection around the
Windows XP machines, additional endpoint security systems
and intrusion detection.
And by locking downWindows XP systems completely,
ongoing security patches and updates will no longer be
needed.Windows XP machines could be run standalone
or a number of them could be connected withVLANs in
combination with firewall rules to block them off from the rest
of the internal network.
Businesses might choose to use a tool such as Microsoft
EMET (Enhanced Mitigation ExperienceToolkit) to harden
theirWindows XP systems.The EMETToolkit runs on
Windows .NET Framework 4 and is designed specifically to
help prevent hackers from gaining access to those systems,
and exploit vulnerabilities in the legacy software. However,
Microsoft warns that whilst EMET can disrupt current exploit
techniques, the technology is not able to stop future exploit
techniques, and is therefore only part of the solution.
Rather than continuing to operateWindows XP instances
on their old desktops and notebooks, businesses may take
this opportunity to reinstall the operating system on a newer
hardware platform, such as the HP EliteDesk range of desktop
quad-core PCs.
In this case, the legacyWindows XP operating system will
most likely require drivers for any new connected peripherals
such as mice, keyboards, hard drives and printers, which will
need to be installed.
At the end of the day, however, it’s much smarter to
take advantage of the enhancements in theWindows 7 or 8
platform that comes preinstalled with the new machine, which
is optimised for the latest Intel processors, graphics chips and
monitors and so forth.
Windows XPVirtualisation
The most popular option will be for businesses to run
Windows XP SP3 in a virtual and secure environment, called
WindowsVirtual PC,Windows XP Mode. It is possible to
download and run aWindows XP emulator mode under
Windows 7 Professional that will allow legacy applications to
run.
However, it is possible to get greater functionality by
running thoseWindows XP legacy apps on a more powerful
virtualisation platform.There are several options available
here.
The first is by installing a larger virtualisation environment
such as Microsoft App-V.This allowsWindows XP instances
to be run under multiple segregated virtual machines on the
same server.
Each of the separate applications can be centrally managed
and delivered to the desktop user through a desktop operating
system deployment app such as Microsoft System Center
Virtual Machine Manager.
Desktop virtualisation environments like App-V can
support geographically-dispersed users on multiple devices,
whilst providing access to business critical applications that is
fast, flexible and reliable.
Another Microsoft virtualisation technology that delivers
virtual applications to the end user isWindows Server’s
Remote Desktop Services (RDS).This makes it possible for
administrators to deliver centrally managed applications to
Terminal Services users, and enables virtualised applications
to run side by side with local ones, integrating them with the
Start menu to make them easier to access.
There is also a Microsoft tool for creating and managing
WindowsVirtual PC images onWindows-based desktops
aimed at corporate users, and this is called Enterprise Desktop
Virtualization (MED-V). MED-V is part of Microsoft
Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). MED-V streams legacy
applications to the end user’sWindows 7 desktop, and runs
them just like any other application, even allowing them to
have desktop shortcuts.
A few things to keep in mind, though. MED-V is not being
updated to work withWindows 8; the setup and operation
of MED-V requires significant time and effort; and it is
also only available to customers on Enterprise Agreements
with Microsoft, and not a good fit for small and mid-sized
businesses.
Finally, for organisations that want to run largerWindows
XP virtual environments, serving legacy applications out
to end users from a data centre, there is MicrosoftVirtual
Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
MicrosoftVDI is an architectural model that has a
number of components including Hyper-V, Remote Desktop
Services, Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), and
Microsoft System Center products, all mentioned above.

4. MicrosoftVDI enables entire desktop operating systems such
asWindows XP orWindows 7 Enterprise to run on a hypervisor
server located in a datacentre, delivered to users as virtual
desktops using RDP. By deploying a MicrosoftVDI infrastructure,
users can access either their own personal virtual desktop, which
they can customize as desired, or a shared pool of identically-
configured virtual desktops.
This is a big undertaking in business and IT terms, requiring
significant planning and investment, and most organisations
would, no doubt, prefer to upgrade their applications toWindows
7 or 8 editions.
Other options
There may be particularWindows XP applications that have
been developed or extended in-house, or which the organisation
has the confidence to redevelop to a supported platform.
But others will not be so sure: for example, many in-house
applications are written specifically to be used with a browser
front end, but some browser applications written for Internet
Explorer onWindows XP will not run correctly on IE8 under
Windows 7. Redeveloping those apps will require technical
expertise and can be costly.
Another alternative to extend the life of systems that depend
onWindows XP is to useWindows Server 2003 R2, as it is
essentially ‘Windows XP Server’. It also has a support date
15 months afterWindows XP’s end of life date: July 14, 2015.
The two operating systems are based on the same kernel, so it
may be possible to gain some functionality fromWindows XP
applications. But once again, this takes expertise and server
licenses are a cost consideration, as is the lifecycle of the operating
platform.
One of the best courses of action is to retire the legacy
application and migrate the functionality to a new, supported
application.
In reality, most applications can be upgraded to versions
that run onWindows 7 or 8. Also, studies have shown
that up to half of the applications installed onWindows
XP machines were not even being used by the business
workforce, so it is possible that a thorough inventory will
detect application wastage.
Cloud-based services are a good option to consider for
replacing outdated programs, because they offer flexibility,
scalability, mobile access and lower operating costs. For
example, legacy and unsupported versions of Microsoft
Office (such as Office 2003 whose support also ends in April
2014), which no longer run onWindows 7 Professional or 8
Pro, could be replaced with the online Office 365 instead.
Moving forward
The most straightforward option, and the one that makes
the most business sense, is to upgrade as many legacy
applications as possible to the newWindows 7 or 8 versions.
At the end of the day, these newer operating systems
have been designed to run far more efficiently than older
platforms likeWindows XP.They support new form factors
such as high-performance multimedia desktops, clever
devices like the HP EliteBook Revolve that double as a
laptop and a tablet, and the latest smartphones.
Windows 8 brings new levels of workflow efficiency to
businesses with touch and app tiles; and its support for
cloud apps is changing the way that people work: on the
move, collaborating as teams, and constantly connected to
each other and the Internet.
Purchasing new HP PCs and tablets withWindows 8
pre-installed will ease the IT burden and introduce new
Windows 8 features to the business. In addition, today’s
PCs offer dramatically more CPU power, memory, and disk
storage than the XP-based systems of just a few years ago.
Legacy applications might be tried and tested, and
therefore largely stable, but IT innovation marches on and
business competitors are taking advantage of everything
today’s computing platforms have to offer. Now is a good
time to take your business forward.
By Arif Mohamed
Copyright © IDG UK - 2014
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