On April 8, there will be a major computer system shake-up when Microsoft ends its support for Windows XP. This means the 13-year-old operating system will no longer be receiving automatic software updates. The move opens up major security concerns for any company that still has hardware using that platform.

A recent article from ABC.au examined how companies that are using Windows XP as part of their point of sale system could suddenly find themselves not only open to more attacks, but could also violate PCI compliance regulations.

"The Payment Card Industry outlines that an operating system no longer supported by a vendor violates the standard through risks of security breaches, potentially leading to exposed customer credit card data," the article reads. "Retailers who are running XP will therefore no longer meet PCI regulations, irrespective of whether their POS system is PCI compliant."

This is going to put some companies in a difficult position, as they must now hurry to upgrade their systems if they have not kept up with the changing technology. However, this can open up a slew of other complications as upgrading to Windows 7 or 8 could also mean a need to upgrade hardware.

This doesn't need to be seen as a negative. Considering it has been over a decade since XP was released, being forced to improve the technology offerings could open the door for a number of options.

If you are in this situation, what are the must-have POS features you require. Will you take this opportunity to explore new cloud based retail POS and restaurant POS solutions that can run on an iPad tablet for much less than a traditional POS software upgrade? The answers to these questions could be important guiding factors as your business looks to modernize.