Identifying Remaining Windows 7 Machines (in 30 seconds)

Rich campagna
January 14, 2020 | 3 min read | Security Posture

windows7notification.0-1080x675 At long last, Windows 7 has met its demise. After a 10 year run, Microsoft has decreed Jan 14, 2020 as the last day of support for the software best known for saving us (and Microsoft) from the mess that was Windows Vista. 

With the end of support comes the end of OS patching, the end of MSFT application patching, the end of Microsoft AV updates. Basically, the end of everything security related for the operating system. Yikes!

You might be wondering whether this even matters. Are there even any PCs out there that are still running Windows 7? Shockingly, there are 446 million of them, representing nearly 30% of all PCs globally. With those sorts of numbers, it’s almost guaranteed that you have at least a handful of these systems on your network, even if you fully migrated from the OS years ago. 

What do you need to do?

Purge these systems from your network, immediately!

Outdated systems, likely on your perimeter, with no ability to patch even critical vulnerabilities, are a ticking time bomb.

The biggest challenge is identifying these systems. Followed by prying them from the hands of all those individuals who have refused to give them up for the last 10 years. Balbix can’t help with the second challenge, but the first one is a simple task.

Identifying Windows 7 Systems in 30 Seconds or Less (Balbix Customers Only)

Fortunately, if you’re a Balbix customer, these systems can be identified very quickly thanks to the continuous, real-time inventory that the system provides. Here is the process, step-by-step:

  1. Login to Balbix and search for “Windows 7.”

    Screen Shot 2020-01-10 at 11.04.43 AM

  2. That’s it! The results will show you the number of systems and where they are. In the example below, there are four systems in the organization, 2 in New Jersey, 1 in Atlanta, and 1 in Peoria. 

    Screen Shot 2020-01-10 at 11.04.51 AM

  3. (Optional) Create a dynamic group that allows you to monitor the number of remaining systems. You’ll be able to track these systems as they are removed from the network and alerted if any new systems running Windows 7 are added to it. You can also assign an owner or owners to the group.

    Screen Shot 2020-01-10 at 11.26.03 AM