Vietnam winner for Get2Modern SME IT Makeover Contest

Vien Dong, that specialises in business and installation of switchboard system, fax machine, telephone, camera, walkie-talkie and audio-visual security equipment, will receive $6,000 to revamp and modernise its IT environment with Windows 8 Lenovo tablets, one-year Office 365 Small Business Premium subscription for up to 20 users, and migration services from an authorised Microsoft partner, all for free.

Launched earlier in May 2013, the Get2Modern SME IT Makeover Contest aimed to encourage small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Asia Pacific to upgrade their IT environment to meet current demands and challenges of the current marketplace. With the impending end-of-support for Windows XP and Office 2003 on April 8, 2014, businesses need to migrate from Windows XP and Office 2003 to avoid external vulnerabilities and risks that have the potential to cause business disruption and extra costs.

“Through the Get2Modern SME IT Makeover Contest, we have found out about the security risks involved in the continuous use of Windows XP and Office 2003, as well as productivity gains from using Windows 8 and the new Office. The contest has provided us with the perfect opportunity to overhaul our ageing IT systems in the office. My staff are all very excited to be using modern IT and productivity systems from Microsoft and Intel!,” said Nguyen Van Hiep, general director of Vien Dong. 

In addition to the above-mentioned prize, Vien Dong will now qualify for the Get2Modern SME IT Makeover Regional Contest, where it will go head-to-head with winners from all other participating countries in the region for the grand prize of over $9,000 worth of additional Microsoft products and services.

According to StatCounter, Windows XP still makes up 45.8 per cent of PCs in Vietnam as of March 2013. That equates to over 5.5 million PCs in Vietnam running Windows XP.

Microsoft’s Security Intelligence Report, Volume 14 released in April 2013, highlighted that PCs running Windows XP with SP3 are 2.5 times more vulnerable than Windows 7 SP1, and about 14 times more vulnerable than Windows 8.

In addition to Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2003 will also be retired on the same date. The implications are no less serious - without security updates, fixes, or online technical support, businesses will face greater risk of security and stability issues, which has the potential to cause disruption and incur extra costs.

Built in mind with meeting the challenges of new security threats today, and packed with modern productivity and collaboration features, both Windows 8 and Office 2013 can deliver instant productivity gains and promote greater collaboration in any workplaces.

Vu Minh Tri, Microsoft Vietnam’s country director said: “The modern office requires a completely different set of tools and features to optimise productivity and collaboration, as well as create a secure IT environment. This is what Microsoft offers with its modern OSes and productivity solutions and services. With nine months to go beyond end of support for both Windows XP and Office 2003, we strongly encourage business owners to take action now to migrate to a modern office.”

SMEs can find out more about how to upgrade to modern IT systems by visiting the Windows Upgrade Centre website.