I came across news that Microsoft will be offering free security updates for Windows 10 users in Europe, which is great for consumers. However, I'm curious about how this will impact enterprise environments. Will businesses be able to benefit from this through WSUS, MECM, or WUFB updates? Additionally, does that mean PCs will need to be hybrid or joined to Entra for these updates? While this doesn't alter our plan for upgrading to Windows 11, it could provide some extra time for those tricky cases where a little flexibility would help.
6 Answers
I wonder if this is a response to the strict hardware requirements for Windows 11, which could leave a lot of good PCs unusable. The EU likely isn’t too happy about that scenario.
If you're still on Windows 10, it's probably time to speed up that upgrade process. Remember, this update is only for consumers, and enterprises should prepare for Year 1 costs of ESU.
If Microsoft is rolling out a security update, why not make it available for everyone? It seems like they’re trying to push enterprises to adopt the latest versions, minimizing their burden with issues and bugs that mainly affect consumer users. Enterprises are often on subscription plans which might be why they’re less prioritized.
It's important to note that the ESU program doesn’t extend general support for the OS. It's only for security updates. If something breaks after October, you're pretty much on your own.
I have my doubts about that. If you look closely at the announcement, it states that the free Extended Security Updates (ESU) are for **consumer users** only in the European Economic Area (EEA). I think enterprises will still be required to purchase ESUs, unfortunately.
Exactly! The term "no-cost" is a bit misleading when it's clearly meant for consumers. It doesn't look like enterprises will catch a break.