Last week, Microsoft furthered its claim that Windows 10 is their last OS. The company has extended support from 2025 to 2026 following the Windows Anniversary Update.
The changes come to Windows 10 Enterprise as part of Microsoft’s Long Term Service Branch (LTSB). It marks a full ten years of support for those on build 1607.
Support for consumer versions of the OS is still set to expire in 2025. This is irrespective of whether the anniversary update has been installed, and will be in the month of October.
It’s worth reiterating that the extended support will only apply to customers on the new, 1607 Enterprise LTSB branch. Those on the original LTSB 1507 will have to replace it with the new one to get continued security updates after 2025.
If you’re still unsure if the extra support applies to you, Microsoft has a list of all Windows 10 support lifecycles here.
Gartner analyst Steve Kleynhans predicted the extension in a July 2015 with Computerworld:
“At some point they will have to reset the clock to start another 10 years and mark some kind of stake in the ground. Whether that will be around LTSB or when the next 10 years will start, we don’t have answers yet.”
New Windows 10 Enterprise Business Plans
Enterprise is currently run by only 0.5% of businesses, but Microsoft is looking to change that. The company revealed at the Worldwide Partner Conference that they were making new subscription plans available.
Dubbed E3 and E5, the plans vary in price and features, but should offer a more affordable alternative for small and medium scale companies.
Details are sparse at the moment, but we know that only the E5 plan will have access to the LTSB. E5 will also feature Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection. The service is meant to act as an early barrier against cyber attacks on enterprise networks.
Both plans will be offered through the Enterprise Agreement on September 1st, and Microsoft encourages businesses to combine it with Office 365 and Dynamics subscriptions.
