Background
On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will officially end support for Windows 10. For organizations, this milestone underscores the importance of proactively planning to maintain security, compliance, and operational continuity.
While Windows 10 devices will continue to function beyond this date, it is essential to recognize its limitations—the operating system will no longer receive security updates, feature enhancements, or driver improvements.
Risk Factors
Vulnerability Exposure: Without regular security patches, even small vulnerabilities can be exploited, potentially leading to data breaches, ransomware attacks, and system compromises. With up to 40% market share as of September 2025, according to Statcounter, Windows 10 will continue to be an attractive target for cybercriminals who will likely continue to prioritize the discovery and exploitation of its weaknesses.
Compliance Risks: Many industries require up-to-date and supported operating systems for regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, SOC 2). Running Windows 10 past its end of life could put organizations at risk if they’re mandated to use systems receiving regular security updates. Using unsupported operating systems could expose organizations not only to technical risks but also to substantial financial penalties and reputational harm.
Performance Degradation: Organizations may also face gradual operational challenges as their system ages. New hardware may encounter driver issues without updated support, third-party applications could gradually lose software compatibility, and Microsoft 365 applications are expected to suffer from declining performance and reliability over time.
Understanding the distinction between what will continue to work and what will no longer be supported is critical to developing an effective migration strategy.
What Does Microsoft Stop Supporting on October 14, 2025
Security Updates: Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10.
Bug Fixes: No patches for system issues or performance problems.
Feature Updates: No new functionality or improvements.
Technical Support: Organizations will manage a more vulnerable system without the safety net of Microsoft support.
Microsoft 365 Impact: Support for Office 2016 and Office 2019 will end across all operating systems, and Microsoft 365 apps will no longer receive updates on Windows 10 devices.
Impact on Pharos Solutions
All Pharos components supporting Windows 10 also support Windows 11. Your organization is already covered when you make the decision to upgrade. Going forward:
Pharos Cloud: The Print Scout, Device Scout, and Sentry Print Service in the upcoming Pharos Cloud 4.4 release will be the last versions supporting Windows 10.
Blueprint: Print Scout 7.38 will be the last version supporting Windows 10—future Blueprint Print Scouts will no longer support Windows 10.
Uniprint: All existing components will continue to run on Windows 10 and 11.
Pharos Product | Components |
|---|---|
Pharos Cloud | Device Scout Print Scout Sentry Print Service |
Blueprint | Print Scout |
Uniprint | Database Service Pharos Print Center Pharos Remote Pharos Station Pop Up Client Sentry Print Service Sign Up Client |