On October 14 2025, Windows 10 will reach its end of support. Microsoft support will cease, with software updates, security fixes and technical assistance all drawing to a close. For businesses still running Windows 10 after this date, they will see their risk of cyberattack increase significantly overnight. While Windows 10 won’t reach this until late next year, now is the time to start planning the transition to maintain device and business security.
While a lack of support and software updates can create headaches for businesses, the most significant risk in sticking with Windows 10 is device security. Obsolete operating systems carry security vulnerabilities, and these are deliberately targeted by hackers.
In 2017, the WannaCry zero day attack infected over 300,000 computers worldwide—the estimated financial and operational costs exceeded $4billion. While Microsoft quickly released patches to close the exploit, thousands of organisations were affected by ransomware attacks. The victims of the attacks were vulnerable because they hadn’t remained up-to-date with security patches and, notably, they were using operating systems that had gone end-of-life.
With the exponential rise in cyber attacks each year, the risk of this occurring again is very real. When Windows 10 goes end-of-life, hackers will view devices running Windows 10 as an easy target.
While most newer devices will be capable of running Windows 11, not all older hardware will be compatible, particularly devices nearing the end of their lifecycle.
The key component for Windows 11 compatibility is whether the device has a specific chip: the Trusted Platform module (TPM). The TPM is a critical security component for Windows 11—without it, the platform won’t perform as it can’t guarantee security of firmware.
If your organisation is running a number of older devices – which many are, given the extensive investment in hardware during COVID lockdowns—the question will be whether Windows 11 can be immediately rolled out through your end-point management processes, or whether devices need to be refreshed or replaced at the same time. These factors will ultimately determine your course of action.
An additional consideration is the compatibility of any third party applications running solely on Windows 10 systems. While most will be compatible with Windows 11, due diligence is required to identify any incompatibilities and determine how these will be managed. Any platforms that are incompatible with Windows 11 should be considered a security risk—now is the time to explore alternatives.
With many incompatible devices approaching or past the end of their device lifecycle, any out-of-cycle replacements should have little impact on warranty management and maintenance contracts.
While a complete or partial refresh of your device fleet may incur additional financial outlay, the benefits vastly outweigh the costs when it comes to business and device security. Windows 11 and the TPM drastically reduces the possibility of threat actors being able to inject malicious code into devices, ultimately delivering a substantially stronger safety posture for your business.
When it comes to the logistics of a major device upgrade project, it may pay to get moving early. While major players like Lenovo, HP and Dell are well aware of the timeframes organisations are working within for Windows 11 upgrades, there’s a risk that supply may not match a sudden influx of demand. This could result in lead times increasing from the current 3-4 weeks out to 12-16 weeks, similar to what we saw during COVID.
At Truis, we’re helping more and more clients tap into the advantages offered by Microsoft Autopilot and Microsoft Intune to enhance their device management capabilities. Microsoft Autopilot is an effective mobile device management solution as it integrates seamlessly with Windows 11 and the Office 365 suite. If you’re also looking to replace a number of devices and refresh your end-points as you transition to Windows 11, Microsoft Intune is a valuable tool to streamline device deployment.
For organisations yet to engage with Autopilot and Intune, Windows 11 is an ideal opportunity to implement them as part of your end-point management processes. The team at Truis can help you determine which solution is best for your business.
The first step is taking a look at your environment and conducting an audit to understand what devices you have, how old they are, and what operating system they’re running. From there, you can determine what your best course of action is, whether that’s a relatively straightforward migration, replacing old devices or refreshing hardware in existing devices.
At Truis, our supportive, full service approach means you can have complete confidence that your organisation will be successfully transitioned to Windows 11 by October 2025. In addition to coordinating your migration, our team can manage the procurement of devices, handle the logistics across multiple sites and provide support in implementing end-point management solutions such as Microsoft Intune or Autopilot.
And one final note—while a change in operating system always presents a few challenges for end-users as well as deployment teams, Windows 11 offers plenty of flexibility and customisations that can make the platform feel more familiar and lead to a smoother transition. We’re here to support your end users, as well as your IT team.
If you’d like to chat to our team about transitioning your business to Windows 11, we’d love to hear from you. Our end-to-end service is designed to support customers at all stages, so you’ll always feel informed, prepared and ready to respond. To get in touch, just click here and we’ll be happy to help.