Firms using Microsoft Windows 10 will be exposed to cyber criminals if they don’t upgrade to Windows 11 by October 2025 and IT expert James Hamilton has some critical advice.
Around 800m Microsoft Windows users worldwide need to upgrade their software by October 2025 from Windows 10 to Windows 11 to avoid major security risks.
IT expert and founder of IT consultancy Halcyon is urging businesses to act quickly but not to panic. He also advises firms not to be persuaded to make expensive new hardware purchases if they don’t need to.
Windows 10 has been the dominant software used to operate millions of computers worldwide for the past decade. However, US tech giant Microsoft has launched Windows 11 and those users that don’t upgrade could face a serious problem.
James explained: “From October, Windows 10 will still work but Microsoft will stop offering fixes, new features or, crucially, new security updates. So why is it so important that people upgrade to Windows 11?
“Our business IT systems, along with our computers at home, are under constant attack from cyber criminals and it is only the sophisticated security software that stops them getting access to our valuable and confidential data.
“Not only is that a direct threat to your business – it also means if you are not getting security protection after October then you are no longer compliant with the UK’s GDPR data protection laws. It isn’t just your data at risk but your customers’ data too.”
James added that Microsoft is offering a free upgrade to Windows 11 for existing Windows users and the only charge businesses may have to pay is for their IT provider to carry out the work.
However, he says some companies are being advised they need to get rid of their existing computers and buy new ones. This might be necessary in some cases but for many organisations the software upgrade will be all that is needed.
Halcyon has more than 120 clients both in the UK and in Dubai. They range in turnover from £500,000 to £28m with headcounts from five to 115 staff. So James already has a good grasp of the impact of the Windows change.
“A medium-sized law or accountancy firm will have hundreds of computer terminals or laptops and having to replace them all would be a huge expense,” said James.
“We are finding that between 70% and 80% of our clients only need to upgrade their software and not their hardware. I’m not saying that is the case across the board but I would say to businesses be sure before you end up spending more than you need to.
“Doesn’t matter if you are a large professional firm with multiple computers, or a small shop with just one PC in the office. If you are using Windows 10 then you must upgrade to 11 as soon as possible. Don’t leave it until the last minute.”
