Plan Your Windows 10 End-of-Life Migration Before It Becomes Too Expensive

The clock is ticking for Windows 10. Its end-of-life date is October 14th, 2025, and that will be here sooner than you think.

This means it's time to plan your migration. You need to upgrade any Windows 10 machine within your organization to Windows 11 before support ends.

Why is this important? Continuing to use Windows 10 post end-of-life exposes your system to security risks as Microsoft will no longer be providing security updates.  Unfortunately, around 60 percent of Windows devices are still using Windows 10, which means a lot of businesses are going to be rushing to upgrade over the next several months.

While Microsoft’s End of Life date has been set in stone for a very long time, 2025 could end up being a pretty bad time for businesses to suddenly need to upgrade a bunch of computers if action isn’t taken quickly.

What (and When) is Windows 10 End-of-Life?

Windows 10 has served us well, but it's nearing its end. Microsoft sets end-of-life dates to focus on new tech, security protocols, and other capabilities. Windows 10 will be a decade old this year, which is pretty impressive for a modern operating system. Technically, we saw the classic Windows XP get a healthy 17-year lifespan, but there were several alternatives and a lot of confusion towards the last several years of that operating system’s life. Microsoft is making things a little less confusing for most businesses, as Windows 11 is already well-supported and stable.

On October 14th, any device using Windows 10 will continue to function and operate, but Microsoft won’t be providing security updates and patches. Essentially, the device will eventually become vulnerable to new cybersecurity threats and become a risk-factor for your business. The longer the device is in operation, the more likely it will be a danger to your organization.

The Risks of Sticking with Windows 10

Delaying the Windows 10 end-of-life migration can lead to various issues. The most pressing risk is the lack of security updates. Without these, your systems are exposed to cyberthreats.

Another risk is software compatibility. Over time, new applications might not support outdated operating systems, or might become unstable on older devices still using Windows 10. This can be frustrating, but worst of all is that continuing to use Windows 10 could break compliance regulations that your business needs to meet. If you manage, store, or transmit sensitive information, your business likely needs to comply with specific compliance requirements. Failing to do so can result in fines, cause you to lose licenses, affect your business insurance, or worse.

Lastly, a delay can lead to increased costs. Emergency fixes and breaches can be expensive. Proactive migration planning is more cost-effective. Plan ahead to avoid unnecessary expenses.

Preparing for Windows 10 End-of-Life

Planning your Windows 10 end-of-life migration is crucial. The first thing to determine is what workstations can be upgraded to Windows 11 and which aren’t compatible. Windows 11 has some fairly typical technical requirements on paper, but there are a couple of requirements that most older machines might not be able to meet.

Simply put, older processors and motherboards (the hardware within your desktop or laptop computer), aren’t compatible with Windows 11. Microsoft has stated that computers need to have an 8th-generation CPU or higher. Intel first launched its 8th generation chips in the middle of 2017, and AMD’s equivalent essentially launched in early 2018. That doesn’t mean that every computer purchased after this falls into the “supports Windows 11” category, as newly purchased computers can easily have components that are a couple of years old.

Windows 11 also requires a specific chip called a TPM, or Trusted Platform Module 2.0. This is a security coprocessor that isn’t built into all computers. Essentially, this little chip is designed to aid data encryption to help protect your data (if you use encryption). While the requirement of a TPM has been a little controversial, at the end of the day it will make it easier to protect data on current and future computers. From a security perspective, we’re glad that this is a change. From the perspective of someone who doesn’t necessarily want to replace a perfectly good computer because the components don’t support TPM, it is a little frustrating.

Either way, this means that some of the machines you have might not be compatible with Windows 11 and will need to be upgraded or replaced. We can help you evaluate your network and determine which devices are compatible with Windows 11 and which devices will need to be upgraded or swapped out.

Getting Your Hands on New Hardware Could Get Tricky or Expensive Over the Next Several Months

We’re not pretending to be fortune tellers here, nor are we financial experts, but the price of goods has been increasing across the board, especially over the last couple of years. With the talks of tariffs on the horizon, the cost of electronic goods, almost all of which are shipped from overseas, is very likely to increase.

In fact, a collaboration between the Consumer Technology Association (the CTA) and analyst group Trade Partnership Worldwide (TPW) revealed that this would create cost increases of about 45 to 79 percent for equipment like laptops and desktop hardware. Monitors, tablets, and other equipment are likely to see similar price increases as well. If your business already knows it needs to order a dozen or so workstations, that kind of price increase can be astronomical.

Beyond that, every other business out there needs to upgrade to Windows 11 by the same deadline. That means plenty of other business owners are likely going to be making the decision to order new hardware as we get closer to October. This could lead to shortages and price gouging. 

We highly recommend that businesses order the hardware they need sooner, rather than later, and prepare for the October Windows 10 End of Life now, rather than several months from now. 

Let’s get your business equipped with new laptops and desktops while things are still affordable, and talk about how we can protect your investment and keep all of your IT running smoothly. Give us a call to get started at (774) 213-9701.