The Reprieve Isn’t Yours
THE CRUNCH · EP 33
TAP TO PAUSE
PAUSED — TAP TO RESUME
In June 2026, Microsoft extended Windows 10 consumer security updates to October 2027, free for anyone who syncs their settings. That reprieve does not reach managed fleets: devices joined to Active Directory or Microsoft Entra, or managed through MDM, are excluded.
For them, commercial Extended Security Updates year one ends October 13, 2026, year two costs twice as much per device, and the program is cumulative. Every managed Windows 10 device takes one of three paths: upgrade if it meets the Windows 11 requirements, buy ESU as a bridge, or retire.
The ineligible machines are a scheduled retirement, not leftover inventory. Plan it inside the refresh so the old hardware leaves on the same visit the replacements arrive — with certified data destruction and a serialized certificate for every device.
That number is your disposition scope. The brief walks the ESU math, the three paths, and how to retire the ineligible cohort on the replacement’s truck.