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Microsoft will end Extended Support on April 8, 2014: no new updates will be released after this date.

If your organization has not started the migration to a modern desktop, you are late. Based on historical customer deployment data, the average enterprise deployment can take 18 to 32 months from business case through full deployment. To ensure you remain on supported versions of Windows and Office, you should begin your planning and application testing immediately to ensure you deploy before end of support.

After April 8, 2014, there will be no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates. Running Windows XP/SP1/SP2 or even SP3 and Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may expose your company to potential risks, such as:

• Security & Compliance Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications, and/or public notification of the organization’s inability to maintain its systems and customer information.
• Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Hardware Manufacturers support: Back in 2011, many independent software vendors (ISVs) were already unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP.

Where do I start?

There is no upgrade path. You will need to do a clean install. This means you will need to migrate the users’ data and reinstall or repackage all their applications for the new OS. This will take some time to test all of the hardware, peripherals and applications to ensure they will work with Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Visit The Springboard Series on TechNet to learn how to Explore, Plan, Deliver, Operate and Support Windows 7 and 8 in your environment.

Here are some other tools to help make your move from easier:

• Download the Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation to start to test your applications.
• Check out the features in Windows 8, get answers to frequently asked questions, see videos on key features or watch some video training to prepare yourself here.
• Learn how to create an application inventory, assess compatibility, explore deployment options, and learn how to prepare for deployment here.
• Considering virtualization options? Learn about Client Hyper-V, App-V and more here.
• Ready to Implement security and control measures? Click here.
• Automating the Migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 End-to-End
• Migrating User Files and Settings from Windows XP to Windows 7
• Windows XP to Windows 7 Migration Guide
• Windows Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals (check the Windows compatibility status of more than 27,000 applications)
• Video: Windows XP to Windows 7 Migration Using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010

 Source and more info: http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/springboard/archive/2013/04/08/365-days-remaining-until-xp-end-of-support-the-countdown-begins.aspx