Despite being end of life for 6 months now, a lot of businesses are still using Windows 10. 31.27% of machines to be precise. Many firms still run it because it still feels practical.
The machine is usable, botts up, staff can work, and if they enrolled in Extended Security Updates (ESU) it can still get security patches.
There’s no immediate problem, right?
Well, that depends on how you define immediate. Because those machines are functioning on borrowed time.
Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 last October, and the ESU program runs out this October. Even Microsoft describes the ESU as a paid way to extend use, for transition, not as a permanent solution.
With about a third of computers worldwide still using Windows 10, it is still common enough to feel normal.
But for your business, “still common” and “feel normal” is not the same as “safe to keep.”
Once ESU ends, Windows 10 devices stop receiving security updates. At that point, any newly discovered vulnerability can stay open. The machine may still run, but it is running without an active safety net. Microsoft is clear on that point. After end of support, Windows 10 no longer receives security updates, fixes, or technical support unless it is covered by ESU, and that coverage has a defined end date.
And this is assuming those workstations have ESU coverage. From what I’ve seen locally, that’s rarely the case.
What might seem like a technical problem is really a risk problem for your confidential systems.
Unsupported operating systems create trouble with cyber insurance requirements, internal risk reviews, vendor standards, and basic security expectations.
One of the biggest factors in the work I do with other law firms is to help reduce risk, not create it. But that’s exactly what Windows 10 does. The machine still works, so the risk is easy to underestimate.
The options are simple. If the PC is eligible for Windows 11, then upgrade it. If the device is too old to qualify for an upgrade, then schedule out replacements between now and October. Firms that plan now usually avoid the rushed purchasing, staff frustration, and preventable exposure that come with waiting too long.