At least one in three businesses in Dorset are going to be affected by the death of a significant chunk of Microsoft software in just a few months.

Windows 7, Office 2010 and other software reaches the end of its life in January 2020.

And because so many companies rely heavily on it, it’s created a “ticking time bomb” for many firms, according to a Dorset IT expert.

Paul Betteridge, Managing Director, iFixTech.

Paul Betteridge, Managing Director of iFixTech, is so concerned that he’s launched a major awareness campaign, including a dedicated website.

He said: “We’re calling this The 2020 Problem because it all expires in 2020.

“But we want local businesses to take action now, not leave it until 2020 as it will be too late then.”

End of life means the software will no longer be supported by Microsoft. So if there are any problems with it, they won’t be fixed.

That makes it dramatically more likely the software will be targeted by hackers, making data theft more likely, said Mr Betteridge.

It also means any business using the software will no longer be GDPR-compliant.

The software affected includes:

• Windows 7
• Office 2010
• Exchange 2010
• Small Business Server 2011
• Windows Server 2008

Mr Betteridge has written a full guide, showing local business owners and managers how to identify whether they are using this software just by what they see on their screen.

The guide is available free at www.deadline2020.co.uk.

iFixTech has three physical stores – Broadstone, Parkstone and Wallisdown – working with both business and residential customers in the Dorset area.

The company was founded as The Laptop Fixers in 2007.

It was rebranded as iFixTech last year to reflect the change in technology over the years.