Upgrade Archives - EasySAM https://easysam.co.uk/tag/upgrade/ Software Asset Management. Simplified. Tue, 03 Jun 2025 13:51:04 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://easysam.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/easysam_icon-60x60.png Upgrade Archives - EasySAM https://easysam.co.uk/tag/upgrade/ 32 32 The cost of legacy software in the UK: when and how to modernise? https://easysam.co.uk/knowledge-base/the-cost-of-legacy-software-in-the-uk-when-and-how-to-modernise/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 09:06:00 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=35291 Legacy software costs have reached alarming levels for UK organisations across all sectors - but what can be done by those still using outdated solutions?

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Legacy software costs have reached alarming levels for UK organisations across all sectors - but what can be done by those still using outdated solutions?

Published on 4th June 2025

The UK government alone allocates nearly half of its yearly tech budget – a massive £2.3 billion – just to keep outdated systems running. This isn’t just a government problem; businesses throughout the country face similar financial burdens from ageing technology.

These outdated systems have evolved into what many experts call a “ticking time bomb” for organisations that depend on them. The lack of flexibility and scalability creates serious operational constraints. What’s more, 90% of IT decision-makers acknowledge these legacy technologies actively prevent their organisations from innovating and operating efficiently. The financial strain goes well beyond basic maintenance—running a single legacy system costs approximately $30 million on average.

Security issues make the legacy problem even worse. Research shows around 32% of UK businesses have suffered cybersecurity breaches within the past 12 months, with outdated systems playing a major role in these vulnerabilities. The situation is deteriorating—the percentage of organisations implementing critical security updates within two weeks has fallen from 43% in 2021 to just 31% in 2023.

Most organisations currently spend between 60-80% of their IT budgets maintaining existing hardware and legacy applications. Yet studies indicate that retiring these outdated systems could slash hardware and operational expenses by 65%. In this article, we’ll examine when legacy software becomes financially unsustainable and how you can modernise your systems strategically to cut costs, enhance security, and fuel business growth.

Breaking Down the True Cost of Legacy Software in the UK

Legacy systems drain UK organisations’ finances at alarming rates. One-quarter of digital systems in central government departments are outdated, with some areas reporting figures as high as 70%. These aging technologies impose substantial costs that extend far beyond simple maintenance.

Annual £2.3B Spend on Legacy System Maintenance

The UK government allocates a staggering £2.3 billion—nearly 50% of its annual tech budget—solely to maintaining outdated legacy systems. This massive expenditure represents just the tip of the iceberg. Maintenance costs for these systems are significantly higher than modern alternatives, often tripling or quadrupling in comparison.

In 2024, NHS England reported 123 major system failures that disrupted patient care and forced staff to revert to manual, paper-based methods. Despite knowing the benefits of modernisation, organisations continue operating with inefficient systems. Take the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), which recently announced slowing migration away from legacy systems due to budget limitations, even while acknowledging this would increase uncertainty related to future costs.

Hidden Costs: Downtime, Support, and Licensing

Direct maintenance expenses tell only part of the story. The hidden costs of legacy software create an even more troubling financial picture. System disruptions and downtime from outdated technology hit Fortune 500 business productivity to the tune of almost £1.19 trillion. In the UK specifically, 48% of workers waste three hours or more per day due to inefficient systems, costing the average UK business at least £28,000 annually.

What happens when your legacy programs depend on outdated operating systems? You’ll face expensive special licensing arrangements as vendors shift focus to newer systems. The Royal Navy learned this lesson the hard way in 2015, paying £7.15 million to continue using Windows XP after their legacy programs became dependent on older Windows products. Finding skilled professionals to maintain these systems grows increasingly difficult each year, forcing companies to either hire at premium rates or invest in extensive training programs.

Other hidden expenses include:

  • Extended vendor or third-party support for end-of-life systems
  • Integration challenges requiring costly middleware solutions
  • Security breach costs (averaging £7.5 million per incident in the US)
  • Employee dissatisfaction leads to higher turnover rates

Technical Debt and Its Long-Term Financial Impact

Technical debt, the “tax” companies pay on development to address existing technology issues, accounts for approximately 40% of IT balance sheets according to McKinsey research. Organisations typically pay an additional 10-20% to address tech debt on top of any project costs. The consequences are severe: companies in the bottom 20th percentile in terms of tech debt severity are 40% more likely to have incomplete or cancelled IT modernisations than those in the top 20%.

CIOs estimate that tech debt amounts to 20-40% of their entire technology estate value before depreciation. Even more concerning, 30% of surveyed CIOs believe more than 20% of their technical budget intended for new products gets diverted to resolving tech debt issues. This vicious cycle translates into enormous costs through lost opportunities and wasted resources.

Security and Compliance Risks of Legacy Technology

Legacy systems create security vulnerabilities that go far beyond simple operational problems. As these outdated systems age, they become increasingly attractive targets for cyberattacks, putting organisations at risk of both reputation damage and serious financial losses.

Unpatched Vulnerabilities in End-of-Life Systems

What happens when software reaches end-of-life (EOL) status? Vendors stop creating security updates, leaving known vulnerabilities permanently exposed. These exploits become common knowledge among hackers, who create specialised tools that make these systems easy targets even for criminals with limited technical skills.

The consequences can be devastating. EOL software remains defenceless against newly discovered threats, with no patches forthcoming. This security gap makes these systems prime targets, especially as attackers actively scan networks looking specifically for outdated technology. The scale of this problem is significant—a 2023 report from the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) found that over 60% of cyberattacks against European businesses exploited known vulnerabilities in unsupported software.

The financial impact is substantial. The Ponemon Institute found that in 2023, organisations using outdated or unsupported software faced an average data breach cost of £3.53 million. Beyond the immediate breach costs, companies with vulnerabilities in unsupported software experienced an average of 8.3 days of downtime, creating significant losses in both productivity and revenue.

GDPR and CCPA Non-Compliance Due to Outdated Software

Legacy systems often create serious compliance problems with modern data protection regulations. These outdated systems frequently cause unintentional GDPR violations, as tech analyst Auger noted when calling for “increased vigilance,” pointing out that many companies violate regulations without even realising it. Basic GDPR principles become difficult to implement when legacy systems generate standardised instructions containing excessive information.

The penalties for non-compliance are severe. Under GDPR, organisations face tiered fines up to £15.88 million or 4% of annual turnover (whichever is greater) for violations such as processing data without proper customer consent. Additionally, GDPR requires that consent be explicitly given rather than assumed through failure to opt out, and customers must maintain the “right to be forgotten”—requirements that legacy systems typically struggle to support.

Even organisations trying to implement compensating controls like network segregation still face significant compliance challenges. As one expert bluntly stated, “Being out of support will definitely affect your compliance with things like the Cyber Essentials scheme, ISO 27001, and the GDPR and DPA—the PCI DSS too”.

Case Example: Microsoft Midnight Blizzard Breach

The January 2024 Microsoft breach demonstrates how even sophisticated organisations can be compromised through legacy components. The Russian state-sponsored actor Midnight Blizzard (also known as Nobelium) began their attack in November 2023 by using a password spray attack to compromise a legacy non-production test tenant account.

From this initial foothold, the attackers accessed corporate email accounts belonging to Microsoft’s senior leadership team and employees in cybersecurity and legal departments, stealing emails and attached documents. The incident clearly showed how attackers can exploit legacy components to bypass otherwise robust security measures.

Microsoft admitted the breach “highlighted the urgent need to move even faster” and committed to “apply current security standards to Microsoft-owned legacy systems and internal business processes, even when these changes might cause disruption”. Following the breach, Midnight Blizzard ramped up their attack volume, with password spray attempts increasing by as much as 10-fold in February compared to January 2024.

This high-profile incident shows how legacy systems often become the weakest link in an otherwise strong security posture. It underscores why organisations must prioritise modernising outdated technology before it becomes a security liability that attackers can exploit.

Operational Limitations and Productivity Loss

Legacy systems create problems that go far beyond financial and security concerns. These outdated technologies severely hamper workforce productivity and operational effectiveness, with tangible impacts on daily business operations across multiple dimensions.

Employee Frustration and Workflow Inefficiencies

Have you ever watched employees struggle with slow, outdated systems? The productivity costs are staggering. Nearly half (46%) of UK workers believe their employer lags behind in adopting modern workplace technology. This frustration translates directly to lost time—slow computers cost employees up to 5.5 days annually in lost productivity. Even more concerning, 48% of UK workers waste three hours or more per day due to inefficient systems, costing businesses approximately £28,000 yearly.

This dissatisfaction doesn’t just affect daily operations. It drives talent away from your organisation. About 30% of workers consider seeking new employment when workplace technology doesn’t meet their expectations. Additionally, 60% of employees report experiencing frustration with software systems in the past two years, with 56% wishing management would simply revert to previous systems.

Data Silos and Poor Integration with Modern Tools

Legacy systems typically operate as standalone solutions, creating disconnected information repositories that prevent effective collaboration. These data silos fragment workflows and make routine tasks unnecessarily time-consuming. Organisations report spending just 19% of their time actually analysing data for its intended purpose, while wasting a whopping 81% on searching (20%), preparing (37%), and protecting (24%) that same data.

The integration problem compounds these inefficiencies. Without proper integration capabilities, legacy systems cannot effectively communicate with modern tools like cloud platforms and API-driven architectures. Research shows these process inefficiencies can cost companies 30% of annual revenue and waste 26% of an employee’s workday.

Customer Experience and Brand Reputation Impact

Poor customer experiences often trace back directly to outdated technology. In a recent survey, 63% of respondents identified long wait times as a major pain point, while 51% expressed frustration with repeatedly providing identical information to different representatives.

The impact on customer perception can be devastating—43% of customers would rather clean a toilet than call customer support, largely due to the horrible experiences created by outdated technology. These legacy systems frequently produce inconsistent user experiences that erode trust and drive customers away. In fact, 37% of customers confirmed they would switch to competing businesses that better meet their service expectations.

The bottom line? Organisations using modern, integrated systems report 10% higher customer loyalty and engagement rates than those relying on outdated technology. This difference directly affects your bottom line and long-term business sustainability.

When to Modernise? Key Triggers and Risk Indicators

How do you know when it’s time to update your legacy systems? Identifying specific warning signs early can prevent severe business impacts down the road. Nearly 80% of organisations now worry about vendor lock-in risks, showing growing awareness of the dangers lurking in outdated technology.

Unsupported Software and Vendor Lock-in

Vendor lock-in happens when businesses can’t easily switch to new products or services without paying substantial costs. This dependency creates major business vulnerabilities—vendors might suddenly raise prices, alter product offerings, or worse, completely stop supporting critical systems. The banking sector faces particular challenges, with roughly 94% of U.S. financial institutions rely on legacy core systems. UK financial services show similar concerning patterns.

When software reaches end-of-life status, organisations face tough choices: pay premium rates for extended support, accept growing security risks, or undergo disruptive migration. Companies running defunct technology inevitably hit compatibility walls when trying to connect with modern tools, creating what industry experts call “integration mazes”.

Increased Incident Response Time and Costs

Legacy systems frequently suffer from slow response times, crashes, and unplanned downtime that disrupt essential workflows. One financial services firm using outdated transaction processing systems experienced repeated outages that delayed customer payments and damaged trust.

Research shows organisations using legacy incident management systems struggle with:

  • Delays in responding to incidents
  • Inability to share information effectively between departments
  • Limited reporting capabilities

Inability to Scale or Meet New Business Demands

Legacy applications weren’t built to handle the dynamic scalability that today’s businesses require. As organisations grow, these systems buckle under increasing data volumes and transactions, creating performance bottlenecks. If your company faces frequent crashes, slow response times, or compatibility issues, these are clear signals that modernisation can’t wait.

How to Modernise Legacy Systems Safely and Strategically

Modernising legacy systems isn’t something you can approach haphazardly. Success requires thoughtful planning that balances costs, risks, and business continuity. With the right strategy, you can transform those outdated technologies into competitive advantages without disrupting your core operations.

Phased Migration vs. Full Replacement

Most organisations find incremental modernisation offers better risk management than complete system overhauls. The “Strangler pattern” provides a practical approach for gradually replacing legacy components while keeping operations running smoothly. This method allows new and legacy systems to work side by side during transition periods.

Full replacement becomes necessary when systems are severely outdated or fundamentally incompatible with modern business requirements. While rebuilding from scratch carries higher costs and risks, it can deliver superior long-term results for systems that are beyond incremental improvement.

Cloud Adoption and Hybrid IT Models

Moving to cloud environments creates both scalability and cost benefits through several approaches:
  • Rehosting ("lift and shift"): This simply migrates applications without changing their code, primarily switching the underlying infrastructure.
  • Replatforming: Here you move applications while making minor optimisations to take advantage of cloud capabilities.
  • Refactoring: This involves restructuring code to improve efficiency without changing core functionality.

Hybrid IT models have proven especially effective for many organisations. By combining on-premises legacy systems with cloud technologies, businesses can maintain critical legacy functions while gradually adopting modern infrastructure. About 74% of organisations manage these hybrid environments either in-house or with managed service providers.

Third-Party Support and Cost Optimisation

Independent support providers offer viable alternatives to expensive vendor maintenance for legacy systems. These services typically deliver similar support at significantly reduced prices. Organisations can access:

  • 24/7 service desk support for all incidents
  • Support for customisations
  • Thousands of support documents
  • Flexible contracts with performance clauses

This approach extends the useful lifetime of legacy systems while organisations develop comprehensive modernisation strategies, ultimately reducing the pressure for rushed migrations.

The Path Forward for Legacy Modernisation

Legacy systems place a heavy burden on UK organisations. The UK government’s annual £2.3 billion expenditure on maintaining outdated technology highlights this financial drain. These systems also create significant security vulnerabilities, with about 32% of UK businesses experiencing cybersecurity breaches within the past year.

The operational inefficiencies make matters worse. Nearly half of UK workers waste three hours daily due to outdated systems, costing businesses around £28,000 annually. Customer experience suffers too—43% of customers would rather clean a toilet than deal with customer support hampered by legacy technology.

Organisations need to recognise warning signs before these issues escalate. Unsupported software, slower incident response times, and inability to scale all indicate the need for modernisation. The question isn’t whether to modernise, but how to approach this transformation strategically.

For many organisations, phased migration offers a balanced approach. The “Strangler pattern” allows gradual replacement of legacy components while maintaining business continuity. Cloud adoption through re-hosting, re-platforming, or refactoring provides scalability benefits without complete system rebuilds.

Though legacy modernisation requires initial investment, the long-term benefits far outweigh these costs. Organisations that retire outdated systems can cut hardware and operational expenses by up to 65%. Security risks decrease substantially as modern systems provide regular updates against emerging threats.

Start your modernisation journey with a thorough assessment of current systems, followed by a strategic plan that balances immediate needs with long-term goals. Whether you choose phased migration, cloud adoption, or third-party support during transition, each approach offers viable paths away from the mounting costs of legacy technology.

The time to act is now. Every day spent maintaining outdated systems diverts resources from innovation and growth. Through strategic modernisation, your organisation can transform legacy burdens into competitive advantages that drive business success in an increasingly digital marketplace.

Source

https://www.netguru.com/blog/legacy-software-cost-uk

Image Credit

cottonbro studio via Pexels

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]]> Microsoft’s Update Decision – new warning for 800 million Windows 10 users https://easysam.co.uk/news/microsofts-update-decision-new-warning-for-800-million-windows-10-users/ Thu, 20 Mar 2025 09:00:32 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=34756 A new e-mail has begun circulating targeting the hundreds of millions who remain on Windows 10 ahead of its end of life in October.

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A new e-mail has begun circulating targeting the hundreds of millions who remain on Windows 10 ahead of its end of life in October.

Published on 20th March 2025

Microsoft has issued its latest “deadline warning” to the 800 million users yet to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11, either because they can’t or just won’t. There has been a modest uptick in upgrades in recent weeks, but more than 60% of all Windows users are sticking with Windows 10 — at least for now.

Windows Latest first reported that it had received a new warning, posting that an “end of support for Windows 10 is approaching” email includes “direct links to check the upgrade eligibility or purchase a new computer.” This is the latest confirmation of Microsoft’s decision to maintain its strict hurdles on Windows 11 upgrades, and not to drop these as its deadline approaches.

While the Windows-maker has said it will offer a 12-month extension for Windows 10 users, the latest warning fails to mention this. Absent that extension, when support ends Windows 10 PCs will be exposed to any new Windows vulnerabilities. A linked FAQ, “clarifies the things that’ll happen after October 14, 2025, which includes the end of all kinds of support from Microsoft. It clarifies that all the free support will halt from that day onwards but doesn’t offer any paid alternatives.”

Microsoft confirms PCs won’t stop working after the October deadline, but also says “with time it’ll support fewer apps and will become a hunting ground for malicious actors.” Hundreds of millions of PCs falling off support is unprecedented.

Of those PCs yet to be upgraded, it’s thought around 240 million do not meet the eligibility criteria for Windows 11 — essentially a secure hardware module that works in tandem with the new OS to better protect the machine. This is now sparking ever more warnings of a new landfill catastrophe and a nightmare for charities that might otherwise receive and be able to monetise the replaced machines.

Over the coming weeks we will see more detail on the $30 extended support option and may get some indicators on take-up. No one expected this to be universal, though, and so the support nightmare will suddenly come true on October 14. Given the extended support option, Microsoft will have prepared Windows 10 fixes and so there remains a possibility that more critical “zero day” patches may be made freely available.

No guarantees though. And so, per this latest warning, it’s time to upgrade or consider a new PC. Certainly don’t risk hitting the deadline unprepared.

Source

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/03/19/microsofts-update-decision-new-warning-for-800-million-windows-users/

Image Credit

Thanakorn Lappattaranan via Vecteezy

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]]> Free Windows 11 upgrade offer won’t be getting killed off by Microsoft (yet) https://easysam.co.uk/news/free-windows-11-upgrade-offer-wont-be-getting-killed-off-by-microsoft-yet/ Mon, 20 Jan 2025 09:30:10 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=34243 Microsoft has clarified that last weeks blog post which sowed confusion was wrong, and it has now been removed.

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Microsoft has clarified that last weeks blog post which sowed confusion was wrong, and it has now been removed.

Published on 20th January 2025

The free upgrade to Windows 11 won’t be canned when Windows 10 runs out of support, as a recent hint dropped by Microsoft seemed to indicate might be a possibility.

This stemmed from a blog post written about the free upgrade to Windows 11, where in the headline, the author had noted that this offer would run “for a limited time only.”

If you recall, I discussed this at length earlier this week, concluding that it seemed unlikely Microsoft would close the door on those who want to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11. But that at the same time, it certainly represented a hint that this could happen, backed up by the fact Microsoft has always had a caveat in place with the freebie upgrade, that it “reserves the right to eventually end support for the free offer.”

Well, it seems that any worries about this were misplaced, as Microsoft has removed the blog post in question.

Windows Latest picked up the ditching of the article, and also heard directly from Microsoft that it was taken down because it contained incorrect information. Indeed, Microsoft clarified that the free upgrade to Windows 11 is “not a limited-time deal” putting any doubt out of the minds of Windows 10 users who aren’t yet ready to make the leap (but are planning to eventually).

Furthermore, this blog post also told us that Microsoft 365 apps would stop working on Windows 10 when its support expired in October 2025, which isn’t true, the software giant separately confirmed.

Analysis: A throwaway line in a now-thrown-away post

It seems we can all rest easy about any vague possibility of Microsoft canning the free upgrade, then. Although never say never, I guess, particularly as there is that caveat mentioned above, but if the offer is ever taken off the table, it probably won’t be for a long time yet.

Naturally, Microsoft still wants to push Windows 11 adoption, as the numbers of Windows 10 users migrating across to the newer operating system have been well below what the software giant doubtless expected.

Compared to the pace of Windows 7 and 8 users transferring over to Windows 10, the move from that OS to Windows 11 has been woefully sluggish. (Although gamers have embraced Windows 11 with more enthusiasm, to be fair, and it is actually more popular than Windows 10 now, at least on Steam).

So, what happened with the now-deleted blog post? It seems like a simple mistake, and a possible theory is that it was a throwaway line added at the last minute (maybe by an editor). I say that because there was no mention of any time limit for the Windows 11 free upgrade anywhere in the body text of the article – it was only referred to in the headline, and that always seemed odd.

If you’re running Windows 10, and have been putting off upgrading – as opposed to being ruled out of Windows 11 by the steeper hardware requirements – I’d suggest you start getting your house in order regarding the move now. Before you know it, January will be over, and then February, and then… let’s put it this way, you’ll be facing down October 2025 (when Windows 10 support ends) before you know it.

Start the planning now, in terms of finding out what you might have to do (such as enabling TPM 2.0 in the BIOS of your motherboard, which is one of the common hurdles preventing upgrades – but it’s easily overcome with the flick of a switch in the firmware).

Source

https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/free-windows-11-upgrade-offer-wont-be-getting-killed-off-by-microsoft-yet

Image Credit

Kantima Pakdee via Vecteezy

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]]> Microsoft tells users to upgrade to Windows 11 while its free “for a limited time only” https://easysam.co.uk/news/microsoft-tells-users-to-upgrade-to-windows-11-while-its-free-for-a-limited-time-only/ Fri, 17 Jan 2025 12:10:03 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=34232 Windows 10 itself may be on borrowed time, but does Microsoft's new veiled threat mean the Windows 11 upgrade offer is too?

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Windows 10 itself may be on borrowed time, but does Microsoft's new veiled threat mean the Windows 11 upgrade offer is too?

Published on 17th January 2025

Microsoft recently declared 2025 “the year of Windows 11 PC refresh,” highlighting the importance of upgrading to its latest operating system as the end of Windows 10 quickly approaches. Now, the company issued another reminder for users, urging them to leave the soon-to-be-ten operating system behind while Windows 11 is available for free “for a limited time only.”

In a newly published (but now mysteriously deleted) post on the Tech Community website, Microsoft describes what customers can do to avoid being left behind once the mainstream Windows 10 support is over. If you want to upgrade without buying new hardware, Microsoft suggests checking if your system meets Windows 11’s hardware requirements (on which Microsoft does not plan to back down). If you have a device with Windows 10 in S Mode, you will also have to opt out of it first.

Those who cannot upgrade due to incompatibility and cannot buy a new PC can opt for the Extended Security Updates program, which costs $30 for 12 months of additional support. However, it only entitles users to security updates, and they do not include new features, non-security updates (bug fixes, minor changes, and other updates), and design requests.

While the exact details about enrolling in the program are yet to be unveiled, Microsoft has a support document where you can check out some details about the Extended Security Updates program.

What is also interesting about this post is how Microsoft uses its old tricks to create a sense of urgency by calling the path to Windows 11 “free for a limited time.” Ten years ago, Microsoft tried the same by offering Windows 10 upgrades “free for one year.” However, once the time ran out, Windows 10 remained available for Windows 7 and 8/8.1 years for many years. Only recently did the company close the door, leaving those on pre-Windows 10 versions with no free upgrade path (some of the company’s ex-engineers are spreading some radical notions about getting a Windows license, though).

It is unknown what will happen to the free upgrade offer on October 15, 2025. That door might indeed close, but considering Windows 11 is pretty far behind Windows 10, one could reasonably assume Microsoft would be willing to allow as many people as possible to update to Windows 11, assuming they have compatible hardware. If not, there is always another way (and Linux).

Aside from this, Microsoft also announced that Microsoft 365 apps may stop working fully if users don’t update to Windows 11.

Source

https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-tells-users-to-upgrade-to-windows-11-while-its-free-for-a-limited-time-only/

Image Credit

Jennifer Miranda Lobijin via Vecteezy

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]]> Microsoft is getting rid of yet another iconic Windows app this year https://easysam.co.uk/news/microsoft-is-getting-rid-of-yet-another-iconic-windows-app-this-year/ Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:17:48 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=31557 This time its Paint 3D on the chopping block - which comes after the turn of the year announcement that WordPad was also being laid to rest.

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This time its Paint 3D on the chopping block - which comes after the turn of the year announcement that WordPad was also being laid to rest.

Published on 14th August 2024

Microsoft is apparently keen to cut its popular legacy Windows applications with storied histories. Following the official deprecation of WordPad, another app is now heading to the chopping block by the end of this year and will no longer be supported with updates.

We’re talking about Paint 3D, the revised version of Microsoft Paint that’s been available since 2016. A few days ago, X/Twitter user @phantomofearth spotted a banner in the app informing them that Paint 3D would be removed from the Microsoft Store and deprecated starting on November 4, 2024:

https://twitter.com/phantomofearth/status/1822131761481925046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1822131761481925046%7Ctwgr%5Ead11289c89455914bbdeb114162b12ad023199a2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcworld.com%2Farticle%2F2424597%2Fsurprising-end-microsoft-to-discontinue-support-for-popular-programme-in-a-few-months.html

Why is Paint 3D being deprecated?

While Microsoft hasn’t officially given word on why Paint 3D is being discontinued, one Microsoft Vendor said that it’s because Paint 3D “didn’t gain much traction among users” and “most users preferred the simplicity of the original Paint app.”

It makes sense that Microsoft would want to concentrate its efforts on the version of Paint that most users prefer. There are already some extra features available for Windows Insiders to test, like new size controls for pens and brushes as well as some new options for the eraser.

Nevertheless, this version of Paint remains in the two-dimensional world for the time being, so it doesn’t come anywhere close to the diverse possibilities of Paint 3D. It’s especially tragic because Paint 3D was beginner-friendly — now users will likely have to switch to a more complex application, such as Blender.

Why Paint 3D was so great

Paint 3D was a useful extension of the popular Windows image editing tool that added several new features. Instead of just 2D graphics, you could create, rotate, and edit objects in 3D. You could also add effects and backgrounds to bring the image to life.

Originally, Paint 3D was even supposed to replace Paint altogether, but they both ran in parallel for a long while. Starting in 2021, Paint 3D stopped being installed by default and had to be downloaded manually from the Microsoft Store. Perhaps that should’ve been a clue that Paint 3D was on its way towards being wound down.

Nevertheless, the end of Paint 3D is surprising since Microsoft never gave any official indication that it’d stop being supported. The fact that the end date is only three months away is doubly surprising.

Source

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2424597/surprising-end-microsoft-to-discontinue-support-for-popular-programme-in-a-few-months.html

Image Credit

Digital Citizen

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]]> Still running Exchange 2016? Microsoft really wants you to upgrade https://easysam.co.uk/news/still-running-exchange-2016-microsoft-really-wants-you-to-upgrade/ Mon, 12 Aug 2024 10:43:37 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=31540 Microsoft have released a new official guide for decommissioning and replacing any 2016 instances still in use - as its extend EOL date looms.

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Microsoft have released a new official guide for decommissioning and replacing any 2016 instances still in use - as its extend EOL date looms.

Published on 12th August 2024

Microsoft is getting serious about the impending end of extended support for Exchange 2016 and has published a guide on stripping the product from an environment that already has Exchange 2019 installed.

According to Microsoft, customers planning on sticking with on-premises Exchange for their email needs should make the jump to Exchange 2019 as soon as possible. While the next version of Exchange – Exchange SE – is due to arrive in 2025, it won’t be possible to perform an in-place upgrade to SE from 2016. Hence the need to move to Exchange 2019, even though its end-of-support date is identical to 2016.

Microsoft’s guide is a quite a bit more involved than simply shutting down the server and throwing it into landfill. For one, Exchange 2016 mailboxes must be moved to a newer version of Exchange Server and mailbox databases removed.

Microsoft also sensibly recommends popping the old Exchange 2016 servers into maintenance mode for a while, just in case anything got missed during decommissioning.

However, the era of Exchange 2016 is coming to an end. While Exchange SE – Subscription Edition – will be identical to the final Cumulative Update (CU) of Exchange 2019 except for wording in the license agreement and version number, moving from Exchange 2016 won’t be as straightforward.

Earlier this year, Microsoft gave administrators who were anxious for news about the next version of Exchange server a notification that the product would show up “early in the third quarter of calendar year 2025.” This is, assuming the company meets its deadlines, just before Exchange Server 2019 and 2016 are due to be end-of-lifed.

At the time, analysts and users alike worried that Microsoft was not providing much time for upgrades. While Scott Schnoll, Microsoft Product Marketing Manager for Exchange Online and Exchange Server, said, “A legacy upgrade from Exchange 2016 to Exchange Server SE is possible and supported,” the company recommended a move to Exchange 2019.

This advice was repeated in the guide to decommissioning Exchange Server 2016.

“If you plan to stay on-premises, we recommend moving to Exchange 2019 as soon as possible. Only Exchange 2019 will support in-place upgrades to Exchange SE, marking the first time in many years that you can perform an in-place upgrade on any Exchange release.

“You should start decommissioning Exchange 2016 servers in favor of Exchange 2019 now, to be ready for easy in-place upgrades to Exchange SE when it becomes available,” Microsoft added.

The next version of Exchange was expected in 2021 but was later delayed after several high-profile security incidents. Microsoft’s attitude to email security has come under scrutiny in recent years, and the company was recently called a threat to national security by former senior White House cyber policy director AJ Grotto.

Source

https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/09/microsoft_really_wants_those_old/

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Foundation-IT

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]]> Microsoft is trying to convince Windows 10 users to upgrade with full-screen prompts https://easysam.co.uk/news/microsoft-is-trying-to-convince-windows-10-users-to-upgrade-with-full-screen-prompts/ Mon, 15 Apr 2024 09:24:55 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=30019 Users have 18 months left until end of support - and Microsoft has begun encouraging them to buy a new PC or upgrade.

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Users have 18 months left until end of support - and Microsoft has begun encouraging them to buy a new PC or upgrade.

Published on 15th April 2024

Microsoft is trying to entice Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 with fullscreen prompts 18 months before the end of support cutoff. Reddit user Woopinah9 spotted a notification “while in the middle of working,” where Microsoft thanks Windows 10 “customers” for their loyalty with a full-screen message and then explains the end of support date. You might be expecting a free upgrade as part of this interruption, but unfortunately for this Reddit user, their PC can’t upgrade to Windows 11, so it’s more “hey check out this cool thing we have! oh but you cant have it,” as one Redditor puts it.

While Some Windows 10 users will see this prompt and be able to upgrade to Windows 11, this Reddit user, in particular, has one of the many millions of PCs that isn’t able to upgrade due to Microsoft’s hardware requirements for Windows 11. “Your PC is not eligible to upgrade to Windows 11, but it will continue to receive Windows 10 fixes and security updates until support ends on October 14th, 2025,” reads Microsoft’s message.

The prompt also includes links to end of support articles and a promotional link for Windows 11. The options to dismiss the full-screen interruption include “learn more” and “remind me later” buttons, which suggests that this prompt might appear more than once. We’ve reached out to Microsoft to clarify whether this is a one-time notification or whether Windows 10 users should expect to see regular notifications like this over the next 18 months.

Surprisingly, Microsoft’s full-screen prompt doesn’t directly mention that consumers will be able to continue securely using the operating system beyond October 14th, 2025, if they’re willing to pay. Microsoft revealed last week that it will cost businesses $61 per device for the first year of Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 10. This then doubles to $122 for the second year and then doubles again in year three to $244.

Microsoft hasn’t detailed ESU pricing for consumers yet, but the company did previously reveal it will offer these extended updates to consumers for the first time ever. Schools will be offered a big discount, with Microsoft offering a $1 license for year one, which then doubles to $2 for year two and doubles again to $4 for the third year. Hopefully, non-business users of Windows 10 will get similar discounts, but Microsoft says it will share details “at a later date.”

Microsoft used similar prompts for Windows 10 upgrades in 2016. The software maker had to tweak its Windows 10 upgrade notification prompts just months later following complaints about how confusing the upgrade experience was. Last year, Microsoft quickly fixed an issue where “ineligible” PCs were offered an “inaccurate upgrade to Windows 11.” The mistake led to some prompts for upgrades on devices that didn’t meet the Windows 11 minimum system requirements, but the upgrade never installed.

Windows 11 is only supported on CPUs released from 2018 onward and with devices that support TPM security chips integrated into the latest CPUs. As a result, Windows 11 uptake has been slower than Windows 10, which was also offered to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users as a free upgrade.

Source

https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/11/24127497/microsoft-windows-10-upgrade-prompt-windows-11

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The Verge

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]]> Microsoft reminds Windows 10 21H2 users about imminent end of service… and forced upgrades https://easysam.co.uk/news/microsoft-reminds-windows-10-21h2-users-about-imminent-end-of-service-and-forced-upgrades/ Tue, 16 May 2023 09:51:27 +0000 https://easysam.co.uk/?p=27557 Worry not though - users can expect to be upgraded to Windows 10 22H2, which will remain supported for some time to come.

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Worry not though - users can expect to be upgraded to Windows 10 22H2, which will remain supported for some time to come.

Published on 16th May 2023

No operating system is supported forever, and this is true of Windows 10. In fact, anyone using Windows 10 21H2 has just one month of servicing left.

As such, Microsoft has issued a reminder about the approaching end of service, giving users time to prepare. The company has also confirmed that anyone still running this version of Windows should expect to be automatically updated to a supported version of Windows.

The date for diaries is June 13, and this is the day that Window 10 21H2 Home, Pro, Pro Education and Pro for Workstations editions reach end of servicing. After this date, there will be no more monthly security updates released unless, of course, Microsoft changes its mind in extreme circumstances — which is not unknown.

In its reminder announcement, Microsoft also informs users of Windows 10 21H2 that they can expect to have their operating system forcibly upgraded so that security updates can still be delivered.

The full announcement reads:

Reminder: End of servicing for Windows 10, version 21H2 Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations

On June 13, 2023, Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations editions of Windows 10, version 21H2 will reach end of servicing. The upcoming June 2023 security update, to be released on June 13, 2023, will be the last update available for these versions. After this date, devices running these version will no longer receive monthly security and preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats.

To help keep you protected and productive, Windows Update will automatically initiate a feature update for Windows 10 consumer devices and non-managed business devices that are at, or within several months of, reaching end of servicing. This keeps your device supported and receiving monthly updates that are critical to security and ecosystem health. For these devices, you will be able to choose a convenient time for your device to restart and complete the update.

As always, we recommend that you update your devices to the latest version of Windows 10, or upgrade eligible devices to Windows 11. For detailed information, see the Windows 10, version 21H2 end of servicing (Home & Pro) lifecycle page. For information about servicing timelines and lifecycle, see Windows 10 release information, Windows 11 release information, Lifecycle FAQ - Windows, and Microsoft Lifecycle Policy search tool.

To be clear, this does not mean that users of Windows 10 21H2 will have Windows 11 forced upon them, even if this is what Microsoft would prefer to do. What it does mean is that users can expect to be upgraded to Windows 10 22H2, which will remain supported for some time to come.

Source

https://betanews.com/2023/05/13/microsoft-reminds-windows-10-21h2-about-imminent-end-of-service-and-forced-upgrades

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Microsoft

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]]> More than half of PCs can’t upgrade to Windows 11 – report https://easysam.co.uk/news/more-than-half-of-pcs-cant-upgrade-to-windows-11-report/ Thu, 14 Apr 2022 06:45:00 +0000 https://wptest.easysam.co.uk/?p=15494 New data from Lansweeper, shows the uptake of Windows 11 at just 1.44% of all systems - the result of an inability to run the new OS.

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New data from Lansweeper, shows the uptake of Windows 11 at just 1.44% of all systems - the result of an inability to run the new OS.

Published on 14th April 2022

Data released today by IT asset management platform provider Lansweeper indicates that upgrades to Windows 11 have almost tripled over the past three months, but the overall adoption rate remains miniscule.

The survey of more than 10 million Microsoft devices by Lansweeper’s PC management software showed 1.44% now run Windows 11, an increase from the 0.52% of PCs that ran the OS in January.

“Overall adoption remains slow, almost six months since the initial launch of Windows 11 to the general public, as previous Lansweeper research revealed that 55% of devices scanned are not capable of being upgraded to Windows 11,” Lansweeper said.

While the majority of Microsoft devices scanned by Lansweeper’s software passed the RAM test (91%), only about half of the workstation TPMs (Trusted Platform Modules) tested met the requirements — 19% failed and 28% were not TPM compatible or did not have it enabled, Lansweeper’s monitoring showed.

“For virtual machine workstations, the forecast is less optimistic,” Lansweeper said. “While the CPU compatibility is slightly higher at 44.9%, our research shows that only 66.4% has enough RAM. For TPM the news is grim, only 0.23% of all virtual workstations have TPM 2.0 enabled. This isn’t completely a surprise, TPM has never been required for Windows and while TPM passthrough (vTPM) exists in order to give virtual machines a TPM, it is rarely used. Most VM workstations will need to be modified to get a vTPM before they can upgrade to Windows 11.

“TPMs on physical servers only passed the test 1.49% of the time, which means about 98% would fail to upgrade if Microsoft creates a server operating system with similar requirements in the future. For virtual servers, again there are almost no TPM-enabled servers.”

Lansweeper’s data contrasts sharply with that of computer-monitoring software provider AdDuplex, whose latest data shows an adoption rate of 19.4%. AdDuplex’s research did, however, show Windows 11 growth had stagnated in last month; it only saw a 0.1% market share increase over other Windows editions.

Jack Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates, said AdDuplex’s Windows 11 adoption numbers are too high, and Lansweeper’s assertion that 55% of machines can’t run Windows 11 is likely too low.

“I honestly doubt that Windows 11 is running on 19% of all machines in use today, since Windows 10 is only running on about 75% or so of machines in use, depending on whose numbers you believe,” Gold said. “That means that at 19%, about 25% of Windows 10 machines could be updated to Win11. I find it hard to believe that 25% of all Win10 machines out there are even compatible with Win11, given that many PCs in use are three-to-five years old or even older (probably at least 40%).”

In evaluating the data from both AdDuplex and Lansweeper, it’s important to understand how the companies came up with their respective numbers, whether through a web browser interacting with certain web sites (a self-selected group of users) or through a voluntary user running the company’s software (again, a self-selecting subgroup), Gold said.

“Without knowing exactly how they are obtaining their numbers, it’s pretty hard to evaluate how accurate they may be. But I’d certainly lean towards a lower number than a higher one,” he said.

It’s likely that any machine more than a couple of years old will not be compatible with (and therefore not upgradable to) Windows 11. And PCs are even more unlikely to be compliant if they’re older, lower-end machines, Gold said.

In December, AdDuplex’s data showed Windows 11 uptake had reached nearly 9%; that number, again, contrasted sharply with figures released by Lansweeper; at that time, it showed the new platform with a less than 1% adoption rate.

Microsoft has pushed to get users to upgrade to Windows 11, but the overwhelming majority have chosen to remain on Windows 10.

Roel Decneut, chief strategy officer at Lansweeper, said unlike previous Windows releases, Windows 11 is simply an adjusted Windows 10 version, and the core differences between the two is minimal. “This is likely the main reason why businesses are against upgrading to a new, and almost unproven, version rather than staying with what they know with Windows 10,” Decneut said.

Steve Kleynhans, a vice president of research at Gartner, agreed commercial customers are not really diving into the new OS. And they’re not expected to do so until 2023.

Still, Kleynhans said it’s “a bit” early to draw any conclusions about Windows 11’s success. “While technically the OS update is six months old, a very large percentage of machines weren’t being offered the update until just a couple of months ago,” he said in an earlier interview. “The current [install rate] is likely just normal market evolution during the early stages of any new OS version and not a sign of anything really problematic.”

Lansweeper’s updated survey results did show that the number of machines running “end of life” OSes (i.e., platforms no longer supported by Microsoft) has fallen to 6.6%, compared to 9.75% in January. A significant portion of those systems are running Windows XP and Windows 7 — software Microsoft stopped supporting back in 2014 and 2020, respectively.

“Although the rate of adoption is increasing bit by bit, it’s obvious that Windows 11 upgrades aren’t going as fast as Microsoft had hoped, especially within the business environment. Many organizations have been put off from having to buy new machines that meet these [hardware] conditions, while others are simply happy with the current existence of Windows 10, which continues to be supported until 2025,” Decneut said.

Because of the minimal differences between Windows 10 and 11, the slow uptake of the latter is likely to continue unless businesses GET a compelling reason to upgrade, Decnuet explained.

“For those looking to adopt Windows 11, the first step is to assess which of their existing devices are capable of upgrading,” he said. “It’s the reason why IT asset management is so important for organizations, capable of running in-depth device audits that can tell IT teams the hardware specs of machines so they can weigh up how many devices are capable of upgrading and the potential cost of such a move.”

Source

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3657628/more-than-half-of-pcs-cant-upgrade-to-windows-11-report.html

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Microsoft

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]]> Microsoft could be on the verge of forcibly upgrading Windows 10 on your computer https://easysam.co.uk/news/microsoft-could-be-on-the-verge-of-forcibly-upgrading-windows-10-on-your-computer/ Mon, 07 Feb 2022 09:57:00 +0000 https://wptest.easysam.co.uk/?p=15522 The move comes as Windows 10 20H2 reaches its end of life date.

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The move comes as Windows 10 20H2 reaches its end of life date.

Published on 7th February 2022

We have long been told about the importance of keeping Windows up to date, but in order to qualify for updates you need to be running a supported version of Windows. And for some people running older versions of Windows 10, the clock is ticking.

Specifically, it’s Windows 10 20H2 that will be reaching end-of-life when May rolls around. The exact date in question is May 10, meaning that in three short months, anyone who is still running this particular version of Windows 10 will no longer qualify for support from Microsoft. And this is why Microsoft is planning to forcibly update people to a supported edition of the operating system.

It does not matter whether you have the Home or Professional version of Windows 10 20H2 installed, as both editions reach the end of support on May 10. The information has been publicly available for some time on Microsoft’s product lifecycle page, so this is not coming out of the blue.

For anyone who is keen to stick with Windows 10 rather than jumping to Windows 11, there’s no need to panic. Microsoft is not going to force you onto the very latest version of Windows if you are happy to stick with an older version.

But to eliminate the need to produce individual updates for a huge number of Windows 10 editions, Microsoft limits support to the most recent releases and encourages people to install the so-called Feature Updates to ensure the ongoing delivery of security fixes and other patches.

And it is with this in mind that in order to avoid there being huge numbers of unsupported – and potentially insecure – system out there, Microsoft is not only encouraging users to update to Windows 10 21H2, it is automatically upgrading machines.

Update to get updates

Anyone who is running Windows 10 version 2004 or later can manually check for updates and have 21H2 downloaded and installed for them, but Microsoft is also using machine learning to roll out the update to 20H2 machines due to the approaching end-of-life.

Microsoft explains more on the Release health page: “Windows 10, version 21H2 is available for users with select devices running Windows 10, versions 2004 and higher who manually seek to “Check for updates” via Windows Update. Devices currently on Windows 10, version 2004 or newer will have a fast installation experience because the update will install like a monthly update.

We also started the first phase in our rollout for machine learning (ML) training, targeting devices on Windows 10, version 20H2 that are approaching end of servicing to update automatically to Windows 10, version 21H2. We will continue to train our machine learning model through all phases to intelligently rollout new versions of Windows 10, and deliver a smooth update experience.”

While exceptions have been made in the past and Microsoft has released updates for unsupported versions of Windows, running a supported version is the only way to guarantee receipt of updates.

Although it would, technically be possible to update to Windows 10 21H1, this edition reaches end of support in December, which will roll around surprisingly quickly. So while some people may resent Microsoft taking control of updates and pushing out 21H2, it is a move that makes complete sense as this edition will enjoy support until mid-2023.

Source

https://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-could-be-on-the-verge-of-forcibly-upgrading-windows-10-on-your-computer

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Karolina Kaboompics via Pexels

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