Everything You Need to Know About Windows 10 End of Life

When Microsoft released Windows 10, it was with massive fanfare because the previous version, Windows 8.1, was a reworked version that was initially designed to be a universal version for mobile devices, tablets, and PCs. It has been 10 years, and now Microsoft is set to retire the popular operating system this October 14th. This month, we wanted to discuss your options moving forward.

Microsoft announced the end-of-life date for Windows 10 in 2021, and put out the final major update in October 2022. Unfortunately, many organizations didn’t take advantage of the advanced notice to make the changes, because many of their PCs couldn’t run the Windows 11 operating system that requires a little more juice than previous versions of Windows. Let’s get into the options for businesses that are up against the deadline.

You basically have two options:

One, you can upgrade to Windows 11. There are hardware upgrades that may need to be made to run the operating system. Older motherboards and CPUs aren’t compatible with Windows 11, because the new OS requires a particular built-in feature that is designed to be more secure. If your PC is on the older side, it won’t work.

This makes many of the PCs that businesses bought that run Windows 10 unsupported. Not having support is a serious risk. You don’t get updates or patches after the end of support date and app developers will eventually stop supporting their offerings. So if you don’t want your network defenses to be Swiss cheese, the investment in Windows 11-supported PCs is necessary.

If your workstations lack the hardware to run Windows 11, it is far more valuable—and often cheaper—to buy new PCs rather than upgrade your old systems. With that in mind, and costs rising, it is advised that if you’re going to do it, get the process started as soon as possible. Reach out to Master Solutions to get a quote.

Option two is, if you have a lot of computers to upgrade, to pay for continued support through Microsoft's Extended Security Updates platform.

This enrollment is an annual subscription, but with a few wrinkles:

• The Windows 10 ESU, purchased through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Program, will cost $61 per device for the first year.
• The program is only available in yearly increments and is cumulative. 
• This price doubles each year.
• The ESU will only be an option for three years.

If you use Windows 10 virtual machines in Windows 365 or Azure Virtual Desktop, you can take advantage of the program for no additional cost, but for most businesses, this process will be extremely expensive and you will end up having to outlay significant resources. Better to pull the Band-Aid off now and upgrade today.

If you would like some help figuring out your options, contact the IT professionals at Master Solutions. We can use our ongoing relationship with technology vendors to negotiate the best price you are going to get on new workstations. Give us a call at (630) 495-3830 to learn more.