Why Should We Upgrade Our Industrial Machines to Windows 11?

You definitely need to upgrade mainly for security updates. Once Windows 10 hits its end of life in October, there won't be any patches for any vulnerabilities, leaving those systems wide open for threats. Since you're using these computers for machinery, definitely consult with the manufacturers before making any changes. They might not support newer OS versions. There are ways to bolster security without upgrading, but talking to a local security expert might give you some good options.

You're dealing with industrial machines, where changes can be tricky. Generally, you shouldn't mess with these systems unless the manufacturer says it's okay. It's common to keep control computers on older OS versions, but if needed, segregate them on their own network without internet access.

Having a Windows 7 machine online? That's a huge risk. You should have been doing something about this a while ago when they announced end of life. It’s risky for end-of-life systems to even have internet access.

I wouldn’t recommend getting involved too deeply. It sounds like a potential mess, and you might end up being blamed if things go south. Stick to giving them basic info and let IT handle the heavy lifting.

Honestly, it's a bit odd that the IT department is putting this on you. Software that's reached its end of life won't get any updates, which makes it a security risk for ransomware attacks. Maybe let your system administrator handle this one instead.