Windows 10 support ended back in October 2025, and the free ride is about to get more expensive. Starting October 14, 2026, businesses that enrolled in Extended Security Updates to keep those machines patched will see the price double, and a lot of Central Texas owners have no idea it's coming. If you have typed managed IT services near me into Google because your hardware planning feels like it fell behind somewhere along the way, this is the moment to catch up before the bill does it for you.
Quick answer: Windows 10 Extended Security Update pricing jumps from 61 dollars to 122 dollars per device on October 14, 2026, and any device still running unsupported Windows 10 without ESU enrollment gets zero security patches at all. The fix is a standardized device lifecycle plan, ideally run through a managed IT services partner who tracks device age and refresh timing before it becomes a security emergency or a budget one.
Key Takeaways
- Windows 10 officially lost support on October 14, 2025, and Extended Security Update pricing doubles again on October 14, 2026.
- A device still running Windows 10 without ESU enrollment receives no security patches of any kind.
- Standardizing your hardware fleet and refresh schedule costs less over time than replacing machines one emergency at a time.
- Complete Care Coverage from CTTS includes device lifecycle planning as part of the monthly agreement, not a surprise invoice later.
- Businesses with 10 to 250 employees generally save the most by budgeting refreshes in years, not emergencies.
What's at Stake
Every unsupported Windows 10 device on your network is an open door attackers do not need permission to walk through.
That is not an exaggeration. Once a device falls out of support and out of ESU coverage, it stops receiving patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities. Attackers know exactly which operating systems fell out of support and when, and they build tools that specifically target the gap.
For a Central Texas business handling patient records, client files, or donor and financial data, an unpatched machine is not just an IT problem. It is a liability question, an insurance renewal question, and in some industries a compliance question all at once. Beyond security, aging hardware is simply slower and less reliable, which shows up as lost productivity long before it shows up as a breach.
There is also a quieter cost that rarely makes it into the conversation until it's too late: cyber insurance renewal. More carriers are now asking specific questions about patch status and end of life software as part of the application, and a fleet full of unsupported Windows 10 machines can mean a higher premium, added exclusions, or in some cases a declined policy altogether. Owners who have never thought about device age as an insurance question are often surprised to learn how closely the two are now connected.
Why Central Texas Businesses Face This Challenge
Most owners do not decide to fall behind on hardware. It happens one purchase at a time until nobody can say what is actually running on the network.
Central Texas has been one of the fastest growing business corridors in the country, and companies in Round Rock, Georgetown, Austin, and Temple have been hiring and adding locations faster than most internal IT setups were built to handle. A laptop gets bought on a company credit card when someone starts Monday morning. A desktop gets replaced only after it finally dies. Nobody owns the decision of when a device should be retired, so the fleet ages unevenly, some machines running Windows 11 and others still on Windows 10 with no ESU coverage at all.
That is exactly the kind of quiet gap that a purely reactive, break fix relationship with IT never catches, because nobody is looking at the whole fleet until something stops working.
It also doesn't help that hardware purchases tend to get treated as a one-time expense rather than a recurring one. A business owner will approve a round of new laptops after a bad quarter of complaints, feel like the problem is solved, and then not think about it again for years. Without a standing plan, the next refresh only happens after the same frustration builds back up, and by then the fleet has aged unevenly again.
Growing businesses in the 10 to 250 employee range are especially prone to this pattern, because they are large enough to have a real mix of device ages but usually still too small to have a dedicated person tracking it.
How CTTS Helps With Managed IT Services Near Me
A managed IT services near me search usually starts the same way: something broke, or something is about to.
CTTS has served Central Texas businesses and nonprofits since 2002, and Complete Care Coverage was built specifically to catch problems like this before they reach your desk as an emergency. Device lifecycle tracking is part of the plan, not an add on.
That means we know which machines in your fleet are approaching end of life, which ones still need ESU coverage before October 14, and which ones should already be on the replacement list, and we bring that to you as a plan with a budget attached rather than a surprise.
Complete Care Coverage is built for organizations with 10 to 250 employees, and it pairs that hardware visibility with proactive monitoring, patching, and a helpdesk that answers in 3 rings.
Building a Device Refresh Plan Central Texas Owners Can Actually Follow
A real device lifecycle plan is simpler than most owners expect, and it starts with knowing what you actually have.
How Many Windows 10 Devices Are Still Running in Your Office?
Most owners cannot answer this question without checking, and that is the actual problem. Before you can plan a refresh or a budget, you need a current inventory of every device on the network, what operating system it runs, and how old it is. This takes an afternoon with the right tools and should be the very first step, whether you do it internally or ask your IT partner to run it for you.
What Does a Standardized Refresh Schedule Actually Look Like?
A standardized schedule replaces devices on a predictable cycle, typically every three to four years for desktops and laptops, instead of waiting for failure. Standardizing on a smaller set of approved models also makes support faster and troubleshooting simpler, since your team is not maintaining knowledge of a dozen different machines with different quirks. Most managed IT services providers can build this schedule around your fiscal year so it lines up with how you already budget.
Budgeting for Hardware Like a Recurring Line Item
Once you know your fleet and your cycle, hardware stops being a surprise and becomes a predictable monthly or annual number, the same way you budget payroll or rent. This is the single biggest shift that gets a business off the emergency replacement treadmill for good.
Who Should Own This Decision, Your Team or Your Managed IT Partner?
For most businesses under 250 employees, this decision belongs with a managed IT partner who already has visibility into the whole fleet and can flag aging devices before they become urgent. An internal generalist juggling helpdesk tickets rarely has the bandwidth to track lifecycle data across every machine, which is exactly why this responsibility so often falls through the cracks in a one person IT setup.
That does not mean ownership has to be complicated. It usually means one clear conversation each quarter where someone looks at the fleet report, flags anything approaching end of life or an ESU renewal date, and puts the next purchase on the calendar instead of the surprise list.
Take the Next Step
If you are not certain how many Windows 10 devices are still running in your office, or whether they are covered under ESU past October 14, that uncertainty is worth resolving now rather than after something breaks.
CTTS offers a free Executive IT Risk Assessment for Central Texas business owners who want a clear, no pressure look at where their hardware, security, and IT strategy actually stand today.
Schedule a free strategy session with CTTS and we will walk through your fleet together.
Have Questions? We've Got Answers
Is Windows 10 still safe to use after October 2025?
Not on its own. Microsoft stopped issuing free security updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, which means any device without Extended Security Update coverage has been running unpatched against new vulnerabilities since that date. Enrolling in ESU buys time, but it is a bridge, not a permanent fix.
How much does Windows 10 ESU cost a business in year two?
Commercial ESU pricing doubles each year it is renewed, moving from 61 dollars per device in year one to 122 dollars per device starting October 14, 2026, and doubling again after that. For a business with dozens of aging devices, that cost climbs quickly, which is exactly why replacing the oldest machines is often cheaper than paying for another year of ESU.
Does Complete Care Coverage include hardware and device lifecycle planning?
Yes. Complete Care Coverage includes ongoing device lifecycle tracking as part of the flat rate monthly agreement, so you always know which machines are aging out and what the replacement budget should look like well before October 14 or any other deadline catches you off guard.
Contact CTTS today for IT support and managed services in Austin, TX. Let us handle your IT so you can focus on growing your business. Visit CTTSonline.com or call us at (512) 388-5559 to get started!