End-of-support systems: update, migrate or isolate

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End-of-support systems: update, migrate or isolate

Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, Debian 11, Ubuntu 20.04… Workstations and servers, Windows and Linux: a system that is no longer supported no longer receives security patches. Here are the deadlines to watch and the four ways to deal with your systems, with the conditions and steps for each.

Updated on 18 October 2026 · Figures are sourced at the bottom of the page; opinions are those of IT CyberWall.

Contents:
Why a recent, supported system matters · The deadlines to watch · Four ways to deal with an end-of-support system · 1. Update in place · 2. Migrate to a recent version of the same system · 3. Migrate to another system · 4. For the oldest or most sensitive: keep and isolate · Workstations running Windows 10 · Need to replace hardware? · What IT CyberWall does · Sources

Why a recent, supported system matters

The operating system (Windows, Linux) is the foundation of every workstation and every server. As long as it is supported, its publisher releases patches for every flaw discovered. Once support ends, nothing more: each new flaw stays open, and recent software (browsers, antivirus, business applications) stops installing on it, one after another.

  • ANSSI requires security patches to be applied within a controlled timeframe, end-of-support dates to be anticipated and a migration budget to be planned[1].
  • Insurers ask whether you still use obsolete systems[2].
  • A recent system is also easier to maintain, faster and compatible with current hardware.

The deadlines to watch

SystemEnd of supportGood to know
Windows 1014 October 2025[3]Paid extended updates for businesses, for three years at most[4]
Windows 11Depends on the version: 24 months for Home and Pro editions, 36 months for Enterprise and Education[5]Version 25H2 Pro is supported until 12 October 2027; 23H2 Enterprise ends on 10 November 2026[5]
Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R210 October 2023Extended updates ended on 13 October 2026[6]
Windows Server 201613 January 2027[7]Less than three months away: plan now
Windows Server 201910 January 2029[8]Already in extended support
Ubuntu 20.04 LTSStandard support ended in May 2025[9]Extended maintenance (Ubuntu Pro) until May 2030[9]
Ubuntu 22.04 LTSMay 2027[9]Extended maintenance until May 2032[9]
Debian 1131 August 2026 (end of long-term support)[10]Ended
Debian 12Regular support ended on 12 July 2026[11]Long-term support until 30 June 2028[11]
CentOS Linux 730 June 2024[12]Ended
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 9 and 10Ten-year life cycle per version[13]Dates are published by Red Hat

Paid « extended maintenance » extends security patches, nothing else: it buys time to prepare what comes next, it is not a lasting solution.

Four ways to deal with an end-of-support system

RouteWhen to choose it
1. Update in placeThe hardware is compatible and the publisher provides an upgrade path.
2. Migrate to a recent version of the same systemUpdating in place is impossible or risky, or the hardware needs replacing.
3. Migrate to another system (Windows to Linux, or the other way round)Your needs would be better served elsewhere: licence costs, available software, skills.
4. Keep and isolateThe oldest or most sensitive systems, which cannot be updated or migrated for now.

1. Update in place

Conditions to meet

  • The hardware is compatible with the new version (for Windows 11: a processor on Microsoft’s list, 4 GB of memory, 64 GB of storage, UEFI Secure Boot, TPM 2.0 chip[14]).
  • The publisher provides an upgrade path from your version (some versions cannot be skipped: Debian is upgraded from one major version to the next).
  • Your business software, drivers and peripherals are supported by their publishers on the new version.
  • A recent, restorable backup exists.

Steps

  1. Inventory the workstation or server: version, role, software, dependencies.
  2. Check compatibility with the publishers.
  3. Test the update on a copy (a virtual machine works well for this) or on a pilot workstation.
  4. Plan the rollback: a snapshot or a verified backup taken just before.
  5. Update during an agreed maintenance window.
  6. Have users check everything, then monitor over the following days.

2. Migrate to a recent version of the same system

Prerequisites

  • Your software exists for the new version, and its licences can be transferred.
  • A new workstation or server, physical or virtual, is available.
  • The data and settings to carry over have been listed.

Steps

  1. Install the new machine alongside the old one.
  2. Reinstall and configure the software.
  3. Migrate data, accounts and access rights.
  4. Have users test on the new machine.
  5. Switch over, keeping the old one read-only for a while.
  6. Retire the old machine after wiping its data.
Migrate safely with virtualisation. Before you start, the system concerned can be converted as-is into a virtual machine, with no reinstallation. You then work on a copy: the migration can be repeated as many times as needed, users test without risk, and the original keeps running normally until the switchover. If a problem occurs, you can quickly return to the original state. This is the principle of our Obsolete systems service, applied here to migration.

3. Migrate to another system

Moving from Windows to Linux, or from Linux to Windows, can make sense: a file server or web server on Linux avoids licences, while an application that only exists for Windows requires a Windows server.

Conditions to meet

  • Each use has an equivalent on the target system: software, file formats, printers, remote access.
  • Costs are compared over time: licences, migration, training, maintenance.
  • Users and the team that will run the system are ready to change their habits.

Steps

  1. List the uses, not just the software.
  2. Choose the equivalents and validate them with key users.
  3. Set up a pilot with a few workstations or a test server.
  4. Convert and migrate the data, checking the formats.
  5. Train the users.
  6. Switch over gradually, department by department.

4. For the oldest or most sensitive: keep and isolate

A workstation that controls a machine, a server running business software that cannot be found elsewhere: sometimes it can neither be updated nor migrated straight away. It then needs to be virtualised, isolated from the network and monitored, and its exit prepared by testing updates on a copy. This is our Obsolete systems service, detailed in the guide obsolete systems and software.

Workstations running Windows 10

  • Extended updates for businesses: $61 per device in the first year, with the price doubling each year, for three years at most; buying part-way through means paying for the previous years[4].
  • Virtual desktops: these updates are included at no extra cost for Windows 10 in Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop[4].
  • Office: support for Office 2021 ended in October 2026[3]; Microsoft 365 apps receive security patches on Windows 10 until 10 October 2028[15].
  • Microsoft’s free offer in the European Economic Area, until 12 October 2027, is aimed at consumers, not business IT estates[16].

Need to replace hardware?

Purchasing advice, financing, take-back of old equipment and recycling are described on our IT estate and hardware page.

What IT CyberWall does

We take an inventory of your workstations and servers, identify systems that are at or near end of support, and suggest the right path for each one: planned update, migration to a recent version, change of system or isolation. We then carry out the testing, switchover and acceptance, as part of managed services or a one-off job.

How many of your systems are reaching end of support?

We inventory your workstations and servers and propose a plan for each one.

Describe my needs

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Sources

Sources consulted on 18 October 2026. Supplier prices are shown excluding tax, in the currency and region of the published price list, and may change: always check the official page before deciding.

  1. ANSSI – Guide d’hygiène informatique, v2.0, measures 34 and 35 — messervices.cyber.gouv.fr/documents-guides/guide_hygiene_informatique_anssi.pdf
  2. Hiscox – Assurance cyber, questionnaire de souscription (2019) — www.hiscox.fr/courtage/sites/courtage/files/documents/questionnaire-cyberclear-moins50%20-24102019.pdf
  3. Microsoft – La prise en charge de Windows 10 a pris fin le 14 octobre 2025 — support.microsoft.com/fr-fr/windows/fin-de-la-prise-en-charge-de-windows-10-le-14-octobre-2025-2ca8b313-1946-43d3-b55c-2b95b107f281
  4. Microsoft Learn – Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10 — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/extended-security-updates
  5. Microsoft Learn – Windows 11 release information — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/windows11-release-information
  6. Microsoft Lifecycle – Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 reaching end of support — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/announcements/windows-server-2012-r2-end-of-support
  7. Microsoft Lifecycle – Windows Server 2016 — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2016
  8. Microsoft Lifecycle – Windows Server 2019 — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2019
  9. Canonical – Ubuntu release cycle — ubuntu.com/about/release-cycle
  10. Debian – Debian 11 Long Term Support reaches end-of-life (31 August 2026) — www.debian.org/News/2026/20260831
  11. Debian – Security support for Bookworm handed over to the LTS team (12 July 2026) — www.debian.org/News/2026/20260712
  12. CentOS Project – End dates are coming for CentOS Stream 8 and CentOS Linux 7 — blog.centos.org/2023/04/end-dates-are-coming-for-centos-stream-8-and-centos-linux-7/
  13. Red Hat – Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle — access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/errata
  14. Microsoft – Configuration requise pour Windows 11 — support.microsoft.com/fr-fr/windows/configuration-requise-pour-windows-11-86c11283-ea52-4782-9efd-7674389a7ba3
  15. Microsoft Learn – Windows 10 end of support and Microsoft 365 Apps — learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/end-of-support/windows-10-support
  16. Microsoft – Mises à jour de sécurité étendues de Windows 10 — www.microsoft.com/fr-fr/windows/extended-security-updates

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