Industry Insights

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Yes, It Really is Time to Say Goodbye to Windows 10

by | Friday, February 21st, 2025

After a decade of use, many PC users have grown pretty used to working with Windows 10… as one would expect after 10 years of consistency. However, everyone—business users in particular—needs to upgrade to the next iteration, Windows 11, as soon as possible.

Why? There’s one simple reason…

…and it’s because Microsoft is effectively pulling the plug on Windows 10

We’ve Known About These Plans for a While

As was officially announced in early 2024 and many times since in support articles and marketing materials, Microsoft is ending support for the Windows 10 operating system on October 14th.

This means that the operating system will not only be less usable as we move on after that date, but it will become more dangerous to do so. After all, no new software or technologies being developed should be compatible with it after this point, and no protections will be generated to contend with new threats… at least, not without you shelling out significant sums for a less-capable version of Windows 10.

I hope you see how this situation is less than ideal.

Cybercriminals Would Prefer You Skip this Update

As we said, no new protections will be developed outside of Microsoft’s special security subscription. Therefore, if a cybercriminal can infect a PC running Windows 10 with an updated version of any existing or brand-new threat, there will be nothing to stop it. In effect, you would be unable to trust any device that isn’t updated to Windows 11 for any purpose. Unfortunately, this makes the need to update non-negotiable.

That Said, Upgrading May Not Be So Simple

The nature of Windows 11 adds a few extra hurdles.

Hopefully, you’re currently relying on Windows 10 at least for your business’ operational needs because none of its predecessors are still safe and secure for any form of use. Ideally, you would have already started the migration process to Windows 11, and this is just some encouragement to speed up that timeline.

Even if that is the case, other complications may make things even more difficult.

For instance, Windows 11 features some hardware requirements that many of your current workstations just don’t match, like…

  • 1 GHz, 2+ core processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 64 GB or larger storage
  • Unified Extensible Firmware Interface system firmware that is Secure Boot capable
  • Compatibility with Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM)
  • DirectX 12-compatible graphics card with Windows Display Driver Model 2.0
  • HD (720p) display that is larger than 9” diagonally

The TPM requirement is particularly troublesome as many PCs currently in use aren’t compatible with the technology. As a result, many updates might necessitate a complete IT upgrade.

While this sounds expensive—and certainly will be—the alternatives are almost guaranteed to be harder on your budget. A security incident could easily outpace the costs of such hardware upgrades, and the extended support that Microsoft offers is nowhere near cost-effective enough to be a suitable alternative for small businesses.

One also needs to consider how expensive hardware is poised to get over the next several months and plan to make these investments as soon as possible before such cost increases make them inaccessible.

This is a Lot for Any Business to Contend With, But We Can Help

Modern business technology is complicated, so it pays to have access to a team of professionals whose job is quite literally keeping up with events like this and doing what they can to make things as easy as possible for you. Your operating system is the last place you want vulnerabilities (as though they’re wanted anywhere), so ensuring you can continue operating securely and with minimal disruption is essential.

This is why we recommend contacting Compudata, as we can facilitate these changes on your behalf to keep your business running.

Trust Us to Set Your Business Up for Success

Compudata has been trusted by businesses all over Ontario to assist them in their technology maintenance and management, precisely what a migration to Windows 11 is part of. By working with us, you can be confident that your essential IT is there and ready to go when you need it, and your team has a resource they can turn to for assistance.

Call us at 1-855-405-8889 to learn more about migrating away from Windows 10 and the rest of the IT services we can provide for you.

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