Microsoft is set to start charging business customers for Windows 10 updates next year. The company has announced a new program called Extended Security Updates (ESU) which will allow commercial and education customers to continue receiving security updates for Windows 10 after the end-of-support deadline on October 14, 2025.
For business customers, the ESU program will cost $61 for the first year, doubling to $122 in the second year and again to $244 in the third and final year. This means that a three-year subscription will cost $427 per PC.
Education customers, on the other hand, will pay a significantly lower price, with the first year costing just $1, doubling to $2 in the second year and again to $4 in the third year. This works out to a total cost of $7 per PC over three years.
The program is designed to be a temporary bridge for business customers who want to continue using Windows 10, but it does not include new features, non-security fixes, or design change requests. Additionally, technical support is limited to the activation of ESU licenses, installation of ESU monthly updates, and addressing issues caused by an update.
Microsoft has also announced that businesses that use its cloud-based update management services, such as Microsoft Intune and Windows AutoPatch, will receive a discount on their ESU subscription, bringing the first-year cost down to $45. However, it is unclear what happens in the second and third years.
The company plans to offer discounts to nonprofit organizations, but details have not been released yet. As for consumers, Microsoft has promised that they will share pricing and enrollment conditions closer to the end-of-support date in October 2025.
Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-will-start-charging-for-windows-10-updates-next-year-heres-how-much/