Microsoft Offers Temporary Respite For Organizations Not Ready For Windows 11

A significant number of organizations may have devices that can’t be upgraded by the Windows 11 end-of-life date.

As most in the IT world know, Windows 10 will reach end-of-life status on Oct. 14, 2025. That means of course, no updates, patches, or support for Windows 10 as of that date.

While one recent report states that Windows 11 now commands 51.77 percent of the global Windows market share, that would mean a significant percentage of devices are still running Windows 10.

Organizations may face challenges with their devices meeting Windows 11 unprecedently stringent upgrade requirements. Windows 11 requirements include:

• 1 GHz or faster processor with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC).
• Minimum 4 GB memory
• Minimum 64 GB storage
• Graphics card with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver
• System firmware that features UEFI, Secure Boot capable.
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
• At least a high definition 720p display
• An internet-connected Microsoft account for set up

These requirements mean that legacy devices may not be able to be upgraded before Windows 10’s end of life.

Microsoft is providing a lifeline, albeit temporarily, for organizations with legacy devices: Enable Extended Security Updates (ESU). The program offers security updates for Windows 10 devices while organizations are enrolled.

ESU is a pay-for subscription-based program at $61 per device for the first year of the program, according to Microsoft.

Pricing then doubles for every subsequent year, with a maximum of three years on the program.

ESU is available at no additional cost for Windows 10 virtual machines in the following services:

• Windows 365
• Azure Virtual Desktop
• Azure virtual machines
• Azure Dedicated Host
• Azure VMware Solution (includes Citrix and Omnissa Horizon on Azure VMware Solution)
• Nutanix Cloud Clusters on Azure
• Azure Local (Azure Local is the new name for Azure Stack HCI)
• Azure Stack Hub
• Azure Stack Edge

For more information on ESU for organizations, including volume licensing options, check out Microsoft’s blog post here.