Important Announcement: Windows 10 End of Support

Upgrade to Windows 11 now

Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will reach its end of support on October 14, 2025. This means that Microsoft will no longer provide technical support, feature updates, or security patches for Windows 10 after this date.

Windows 10 will still work after this date, but your business should make some critical decisions about upgrading to Windows 11 well before October 2025. Here is why:

A Brief History of Windows 10

Windows 10 was released in 2015. Microsoft aimed to have Windows 10 installed on over one billion devices within three years of its release, a goal it ultimately achieved in March 2020. Since then, Windows 10 has become the most popular version of Windows worldwide, surpassing Windows 7.

Over the years, Windows 10 has seen numerous updates and versions, each bringing new features and improvements. The latest version, Windows 10 22H2, was released in late 2022, and will be the final version before the end of support in October 2025.

Windows has been through many versions over the years!

Why This Matters for Your Business

  1. Increased Security Risks: Without regular security updates, Windows 10 systems will be more vulnerable to cyber threats. Despite our best efforts, protecting your business from potential breaches and malware will become significantly more challenging on Windows 10.
  2. Compliance: Many industries require the use of supported software to meet their own compliance standards and are not allowed to use an unsupported operating system.
  3. Performance: Windows 11 offers improved performance, new features, and better compatibility with the latest hardware and software. Upgrading means your team can be more productive and efficient.
  4. Computer Replacement: Not all computers are capable of running Windows 11. Generally, if it was purchased after 2019 it should be OK to upgrade, but if it is older, there may be reasons why Microsoft is preventing it from being upgraded. This applies to literally millions of computers worldwide, meaning there will be an upcoming shortage of Windows 11 capable computers in the supply chain. People who wait until the last minute may face delays due to shortages.

 

Excited to upgrade to Windows 11?

It’s important to check if your devices meet the necessary hardware requirements, as older PCs may not be supported. Typically, PCs built in 2018 or later are compatible.

To check for Windows 11 compatibility, Download the PC Health Check app from Microsoft. Older hardware is less likely to pass Windows 11’s stringent compatibility checks; for example, most Intel 7th Generation Core processors are not on the list of compatible CPUs.

What Happens Next for Our Clients

As your business IT Partner, we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Here’s how we plan to do it:

  1. Automatic Upgrade: If you are a managed IT services client (i.e. on one of our Care and Support Plans) your computer will likely already have been upgraded automatically to Windows 11. If it hasn’t yet there could be one of a few reasons why. If you don’t want to wait until we address these reasons (see 2. below) then please get in touch with us straight away.
  2. Proactive Assessment: We are actively monitoring all computers under our management and will proactively be in touch early in 2025 if your business is still running Windows 10. However, if you are not on one of our Care and Support plans, you will need to make contact with us as we don’t have any visibility over your computers to see if they are compatible or not.
  3. Detailed Upgrade Plan: If your business has computers that need to be replaced, we can provide an upgrade plan tailored to your business needs, including timelines, budget allocation, and minimisation of downtime.

 

What are the Other Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 11?

Upgrading to Windows 11 offers several advantages:

  • Better Security: Advanced security features to protect against modern threats.
  • Improved Performance: Faster boot times, better multitasking capabilities, and overall smoother performance.
  • New Features: Productivity tools, an intuitive interface, and seamless integration with Microsoft 365 services.
  • Sleek New Computers: Modern laptops and PCs are lighter, sleeker, and have longer battery life.

 

Next Steps

We will be reaching out to you individually to discuss the upgrade process and answer any questions you may have. Our goal is to make this transition as seamless as possible, ensuring your business continues to operate smoothly and securely.

If you have any questions at all you can reach out to us by phoning 099734770 or emailing helpdesk@rvn.co.nz

Best regards,

The Revolution IT Team

An article by Revolution IT in Auckland

Should you have any inquiries about this article or our services, feel free to reach out. We’re here to discuss your options, even if it’s just a casual chat.