"Almost all" businesses being weighed down by Microsoft technical debt ahead of Windows 10 End Of Life

News
By published

Time for an upgrade as Windows 10 EOL approaches

Man Typing on Laptop
(Image credit: Pixabay)
  • Windows 10 end of life approaching on October 14, 2025
  • However many firms still struggle with technical debt on older systems
  • Businesses should upgrade now or face potential issues, experts warn

Nearly all businesses may need to carry out major technical changes as the Windows 10 end of life deadline approaches, experts have warned.

Research from Cloudhouse claims 90% of firms are carrying some form of Microsoft Windows technical debt, caused by delaying their upgrades to newer and more effective technology.

Microsoft is set to officially end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, after which the aged software suite will no longer receive official updates or security patches, potentially putting users at risk of attack.

Windows 10 End of Life issues

These worries are reflected in the survey, where 72% of respondents said they believe outdated Windows systems heightened their risk of cyberattacks.

Over half (51%) have suffered system downtime linked directly to technical debt, and around the same amount (48%) have already faced compliance issues during audits, and 41% of organizations reporting regulatory compliance has become harder to maintain because of reliance on legacy Windows systems.

Many firms say they are already facing heightened costs due to their delay in addressing these issues, with nearly half (45%) saying budgets are being diverted from areas such as R&D in order to maintain legacy systems.

Despite these concerns, only 14% of organizations were found to be proactively investing in fixing or upgrading their legacy IT, while almost half admit they only deal with it reactively when something breaks.

“Technical debt isn’t just a tech problem, it’s a business risk, a security gap, and a human cost," noted Mat Clothier, CEO of Cloudhouse.

"The fact that 90% of organizations are still carrying Windows technical debt, so close to the end of life of Windows 10, should be a wake-up call. Awareness is high, but action lags far behind. Unless organizations address this now, the costs – in downtime, compliance failures, lost innovation, and employee wellbeing – will only increase.”

Want to stick with Windows 10 after October 2025? Here are your options – including how to get a free year of extra support

You might also like

Mike Moore
Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.