What is Windows 10 End of Life?
What is Windows 10 End of Life? And why does it matter to my business? Well, Microsoft Windows 10 will be the grand old age of 10 on July 15th 2025 (it was launched on July 15th 2015). Microsoft have kept the Operating System alive that was meant to be the final ever release of Windows for ten whole years! They haven’t quite kept their promise of it being the final ever release, but they have kept it running (and running well in our opinion) for a good chunk of time. However, shortly after it’s tenth birthday, they will stop supporting the Operating System and only Windows 11 will be available with support (and updates).
When is Microsoft Windows 10 end of life?
So, Let’s start with a bit of a caveat, Microsoft have been known to change their minds when it comes to dates, although this one does feel final. The official end of life date of Microsoft Windows 10 is 14th October 2025 or 14/10/2025 or 10/14/2025 if you’re in America! That’s right, there is exactly 1 year left until it reaches it’s demise.
Why does Windows 10 end of life matter to my business?
Once the Windows 10 Operating System reaches end-of-life on October 14th 2025, Microsoft will no longer be issuing updates to patch problems with the Operating System. What this means is that over time, the Operating System will become less and less reliable and less and less secure. It won’t happen overnight, but it is a fact. Windows 10 is currently the most used Operating System in the world, there is a lot of equipment that will need to be either upgraded or replaced. Windows 11 is currently the only Microsoft choice available to users. However, Windows 11 is not compatible with all of the PCs and Laptops out there, so for some users, the only choice is to replace the devices.
So, what does this mean for my business?
As things stand, businesses have exactly 1 year left to get their upgrades or replacements done. However, for most businesses, this does span 2 different financial years, which means that the investment can come from 2 different ‘pots’ as it were.
For our own IT Support customers, they have been receiving Hardware Reports every month for over 3 years now. With a simple traffic light system showing which need to be replaced and which can be upgraded. Many of them have also been talking to us about their IT Roadmap, which sets out what needs to be done over the next 4 years. Not just for Windows 10 end of life, but across their IT estate. For those of you that don’t have IT Support with us, our current advice is to replace 25% of the Windows 10 devices that can’t be upgraded, each quarter. Meaning that in 12 months, you will have covered all of the devices off and you won’t be scrabbling around at the last minute trying to get back in the game!
If you have Cyber Essentials (or Plus) or ISO 27001, you won’t be able to re-certify without upgrading or replacing this equipment. Added to this, the ICO consider out of date operating systems to be fundamentally wrong for businesses to continue running. In the event of a Cyber Attack, it’s possible that your business would be considered negligent, if it lost personal data (every business has personal data – at least for it’s own employees) and so your business could potentially land in hot water!
Windows 10 end of life Summary?
OK, so we’ve told you all about Windows 10 end of life. So what are you waiting for? Crack on and get a plan in place as soon as you can for your business. Ask your current IT Support Provider to supply you with a Hardware Report. This sets out which devices can be upgrade and which ones need to be replaced, so that you can make an investment plan to work towards. There’s no way of getting around this, it absolutely needs to happen in every single business. The countdown is on, only three hundred and sixty five days until your business is uncompliant! Don’t be one of the businesses that gets left behind on this important task!
If your current provider isn’t able to provide you with a report, ask them why! And if you don’t get the answer you like, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and we’ll work with you to do it on behalf of your business. Drop us a message via our Contact page or give us a call today on 0330 2020101!
