Following the trajectory of every Windows system so far, Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 official support is at an end. Microsoft’s official documentation notes that this will go into effect on October 14, 2025, so depending on when you read this, the change might already be upon us. As inconvenient as it might be at first, this loss of support can actually go on to have more profound, problematic, and even expensive implications for work computer systems.
What This Means for Businesses
The most relevant part of Windows 10 support dying out comes from how its security feature suite will no longer be updated. These protection systems have become hugely powerful over the last few years, with Microsoft reaching the cutting-edge of what many users and business systems need. After October 14, any new vulnerabilities in Windows 10 networking will no longer be patched.
What this means is that unwelcome actors could find holes to exploit, which could result in data theft, ransomware attacks, or any others listed on sites like Fortinet. That’s not to say that a business will definitely be attacked, but rather that there are possibilities for harm that will only increase over time.
What do You Do with Older Computers?
The best choice that most businesses have is to upgrade their operating systems to Windows 11. Unfortunately, not every computer can update to this operating system, as Windows 11 depends on a hardware configuration that not all systems meet. While the details here can be confusing, you can check them yourself by downloading the PC Health Check app from the official Windows website.
If you can’t update, then you have a few options. You could look at the necessary hardware upgrades to unlock Windows 11 compatibility, but this option can be complicated. You could also replace your existing computer systems, but again, this can be expensive.
If you do intend to replace your systems, perhaps because they’re already in need of an update, then you can recover some of the costs by formatting all data after backing it up and selling the computers. The average office-grade computer can actually be a great system for those looking for casual entertainment uses that aren’t especially demanding, like iGaming. Slingo games are a prime example, as these cutting-edge releases like Thunder of the Gods and King Kong Crash Climber can run perfectly well on some older and less powerful systems. Hence, there’s always demand here, so you always have a sales option.
The final and most recommended option for those for whom the above choices are not viable is to turn to third-party security software to plug the holes that Microsoft leaves. Established companies like Norton, McAfee, and BitDefender are all solid choices, and will keep you covered until you do eventually manage an upgrade to the next version. They might come with some learning time, but this is more than worth the investment.
Microsoft dropping support for Windows 10 is inconvenient, but the hurdles it produces are surmountable. Be as proactive as you can, and you can rest more confidently that your business is as safe as it can be. Of course, you’ll still need to keep staff trained on the best security practices, but this is far easier than recovering a network after a malware attack.