In a few days, on October 14, millions of organizations around the world will face a technological challenge that goes beyond a simple update. The withdrawal of official Microsoft support for Windows 10 marks a turning point in the management of digital infrastructure and the employee experience, a dimension that increasingly worries IT areas.
According to data from Nexthink, there are still 121 million corporate devices that will continue to run Windows 10 after the end of support. This, the company warns, could generate cost overruns of more than $7.3 billion globally, since organizations will have to assume maintenance and support tasks internally to avoid security risks or drops in productivity.
The countdown to technological change
Nexthink’s analysis reveals that the transition to Windows 11 is slower than expected. Of the 1.4 billion devices with the Windows operating system active in the world, 30% belong to companies and public administrations, that is, around 420 million computers. With a market share of 43%, Windows 10 is still present in about 181 million of them.
Although the number of computers with Windows 10 was reduced by 33% between May and August, the pace of adoption of the new version does not seem sufficient to avoid exposure to risks. And it’s not just about security. The results of the Nexthink study show that Windows 11, although more modern and equipped with advanced AI capabilities, today presents greater instability than its predecessor, with more system crashes (1.2% compared to 0.6% for Windows 10) and more frequent forced restarts (9.9% compared to 8.5%).
The impact on the employee’s digital experience
The company also highlights that a poorly planned migration can deteriorate the digital experience of employees, an aspect that has a direct impact on productivity and job satisfaction. “Moving from one operating system to another should not feel like an interruption. It should be an opportunity to improve the way employees work every day,” explains Vicente Lorente, Presales Director of Southern Europe at Nexthink.
Lorente adds that the key is to understand how devices and applications work before making the change. “The goal is to anticipate problems, ensure a smooth transition and prevent productivity from being interrupted by an IT event. Only then will organizations see a clear return on their investment.”
Risks and costs of not acting on time
Not updating computers to Windows 11 poses a considerable risk. Devices that continue to run Windows 10 will be left without security patches, exposed to malware, phishing or ransomware attacks. Added to this are internal support costs, estimated by Nexthink at $61 per device for the first year, in addition to the operational impact of working with outdated hardware or unsupported applications.
The company also warns of the risk of generating unequal digital experiences between employees who use different operating systems, a situation that can affect collaboration, coherence in processes and the digital well-being of the teams.
A proactive strategy for smart migration
Nexthink advocates a data-driven approach to planning technology migration. The first stage, he points out, should focus on identifying the computers that still use Windows 10 and evaluating whether their hardware is prepared to make the leap to Windows 11. Subsequently, it is advisable to analyze the compatibility of the applications and anticipate possible incidents after the migration.
“Windows 11 provides very powerful capabilities, but only if devices and employees are prepared to take advantage of them,” warns Lorente. In his opinion, many migration projects are approached as simple compliance exercises, “when in reality they can become real opportunities to transform the way people work.”
