The support for the operating systems Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008R2 ends in exactly one year.
EDIT: There are more Microsoft products running out of support 2020. Check my other article for more information.
January 14th, 2020 is the last day Microsoft will release updates for the operating systems Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008R2. After that day the product have reached their end of life (EOL).
So, what can you do?
1. Upgrade to a newer version of Windows (Server)
That is the most obvious solution. Replace your Windows 7 clients with Windows 8.1 or even better with Windows 10.
Windows 8.1 is in the extended support phase reaching its end of life on January 10, 2023.
Windows 10 with the current version 1809 is reaching end of life on May 20, 2020 (Home and Pro version) or May 11, 2021 (Enterprise and education). Each later version will give you 18 months additional support (March updates) or 30 months (September updates) from release date.
Windows Server 2019 is supported until May 11, 2020 with each semi-annual update giving you 18 months more support from release date. The long-term servicing channel (LTSC) version with even longer support.
2. Switch to Linux or Mac OS
Depending on your software environment, you might switch to Linux or Mac.
3. Pay for extended support
Microsoft is offering an extended support for Windows 7 for customers willing to pay for it. The so called “extended security updates” are licensed per device and the price will increase over time. That does not sound like a cheap solution.
No matter what you are going to do: The time is running. Switching to another Windows version requires a lot of planning and testing and depending on your users even training.
Windows 10 has a bad reputation with some administrators. There are nasty things like the telemetry sending a lot of data back to Microsoft or unwanted application being preinstalled.
On the other hand, you will receive a modern OS supporting modern architectures like virtualization way better than Windows 7. Also new security features like an improved Windows Defender or a software sandbox are developed for Windows 10 exclusively.