End of Windows 10 support: is your IT environment still protected?
Since 14 October 2025, Windows 10 no longer receives free security updates from Microsoft. Yet many SMEs still work on Windows 10 machines every day, often without realising it. Every week that passes raises the risk: a flaw found today will never be fixed on those machines. Here is how to find out where you stand and how to take back control calmly, without disrupting your organisation.
Why an end of support is a genuine security problem
An operating system that is no longer supported does not suddenly stop working. The machine boots, the applications run, everything looks normal. The danger is invisible: Microsoft no longer issues patches for new vulnerabilities. In other words, the flaws pile up and stay open. Attackers know this and target outdated systems first, because they offer a reliable way into the network.
For an SME, the consequences go beyond the machine in question. A single unpatched computer can be the starting point for ransomware that spreads to the servers and the backups. It is also a matter of compliance: the European NIS2 directive and cyber insurance processes expect businesses to keep their systems up to date. An unprotected Windows 10 environment becomes a weak point that your insurer or a demanding client can hold against you.
Take an inventory before you decide
The first step is not to replace everything, but to know exactly what you have. How many machines still run Windows 10? Which ones are compatible with Windows 11 and which are not? Windows 11 sets hardware requirements (a TPM 2.0 security chip, secure boot, a recent processor). Part of your environment can move across with a simple upgrade, another part will have to be replaced.
This is exactly the kind of mapping we carry out with Microsoft Intune and Microsoft 365. In a few clicks, you get the list of machines, their Windows version, their compatibility and their compliance status. You move from a vague worry to a clear plan: what to migrate, what to replace, and in what order.
Three options, depending on your situation
There is no single right answer, but three routes to combine depending on your machines. The first, and the one to favour, is migration to Windows 11 for compatible machines: it is the lasting solution, with security updates guaranteed for years to come. The second is replacing hardware that has become too old, a chance to modernise with professional Dell machines suited to your needs and deployed automatically through Intune. The third, a temporary one, is Microsoft's Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme: it lets you keep receiving security patches on Windows 10 for a limited period, at a cost. It is a safety net to buy time, not a destination.
Windows 10 has not been patched since 14 October 2025: a workstation that runs is not a workstation that is protected. Take an inventory, migrate to Windows 11 whatever can move, replace the rest, and use the ESU programme only as a stopgap.
Your six-step action plan
- List all your machines and identify the ones still running Windows 10.
- Check the Windows 11 compatibility of each machine (TPM 2.0, secure boot, processor).
- Plan the migration of compatible machines to Windows 11, in waves, so you do not hold up the business.
- Replace machines that are too old with recent professional hardware, deployed and secured automatically.
- Turn on the ESU programme only on the machines you cannot migrate yet, as a temporary safety net.
- Check your backups and your Microsoft 365 security setup while you are at it.
SabiSys handles the migration for you
Migrating an environment without interrupting your teams' work takes method. At SabiSys, we manage the whole thing: inventory through Intune, choosing the right Dell hardware, automated deployment, data migration and a check of your Microsoft 365 security. You keep your business running, we take care of the technical side.
Not sure where your environment stands? Our free security check-up places you in three minutes, and a free, no-obligation audit reviews your whole setup, on site, in an hour. It is the best way to approach this deadline calmly, before an incident forces your hand. Get in touch with SabiSys, your IT partner in the Liège area.
Three minutes are enough to take stock.