Microsoft Windows 10 support ends on October 14th, 2025.  This means that as of this date, most Windows 10 systems will cease to be eligible for support including important security patches.  Without appropriate mitigation, Windows 10 systems will be non-compliant with multiple RPI security policies and may be denied access to the campus network in order to reduce risk and maintain a secure cybersecurity posture.

DotCIO has developed a strategy to mitigate these issues which includes the following possibilities:

• Decommission unnecessary/outdated devices
• Replace outdated devices
• Upgrade to Windows 11 for newer devices
• Utilize extended support offering (additional costs) to bridge the gap until replacement or upgrade can take place
• Introduce mitigating controls such as placement behind a firewall (research labs or equipment control systems)

Our recommendations for appropriate strategies will depend on the specific situation.  It is important to understand that due to resource constraints, we may not be able to upgrade or replace systems within the requisite timeframe.  Additionally, use of extended support is not a long-term strategy and should not take the place of an appropriate lifecycle plan.  Upgrading or using extended support will not address other risks including lack of hardware support services or inadequate computational power or features that employees may reasonably need to do their jobs.  Additionally, we are aware that there are many Windows 10 systems in use by employees which are considered secondary (not their primary/newest device).  These will be considered a low priority.  Our goal is to ensure that all critical and employee primary systems are mitigated prior to Oct 14th.  Any work on secondary systems will be handled on a case by case basis and only after critical systems are mitigated.

Next steps:

• We will reach out to campus via announcement in the coming weeks with general information for the community
• We will open support requests for the ~1100 systems we have identified as RPI owned Windows 10
• We will work with clients for their specific systems to try to identify the best course of action for mitigation
• We will work through the mitigation process

In the meantime, please submit a Support Request via https://itssc.rpi.edu and let us know if you have specific concerns and/or plans to replace systems during this fiscal year as that may impact our mitigation strategy recommendations.