Planning your upgrade to Microsoft Windows 10

To: Departmental and administrative assistants; department IT support representatives; CCS department liaisons; and the Ryerson Security Working Group

Microsoft has announced it will be removing support for its Windows 7 operating system as of January 2020. Once support ends, security updates will no longer be provided by Microsoft, which may leave computers using Windows 7 highly vulnerable to malware attacks.

If you use or manage computers running on Windows 7, please contact Computing and Communications Services (CCS) for a Windows 10 upgrade consultation.

Planning for upgrades

While the timing for Windows 7 support removal comes directly from Microsoft, Ryerson faculties and departments will soon begin department budget planning for FY19-20. As such, it is perhaps a good time to start the Windows 10 upgrade planning process. There are two ways to upgrade to Windows 10: purchase a new unit or upgrade an existing unit.

Purchase a new unit

A new computer can be purchased with the Windows 10 operating system already installed. This may be the more suitable option as some older computers are unable to maintain adequate performance with the newer operating system.

Upgrade an existing unit

There is also an option to have CCS or your departmental IT support upgrade your current computer to Windows 10 and configure your security and privacy settings. We do not recommend upgrading and configuring these settings on your own.

While CCS normally charges $75 per computer for operating system upgrades, this fee will be waived between now and June 28, 2019 for all Ryerson-owned units upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10. The $75 fee will be reinstated after this date. Computer backup services are also available for an additional $75 per hour.

Alternate options

If you have applications or equipment needing to remain on Windows 7, we still encourage you to consult with CCS. In such instances, we can help securely isolate your setup to reduce the risk of malware infection. This may include restricting access to Ryerson's internal network and/or the internet.

Questions?

For assistance with the planning of a Windows 10 migration for your faculty or department, or if you have any questions, please contact Kevin Davies, manager, end-user computing, at kevin.davies@torontomu.ca or 416-979-5000, ext. 556799.