From October 14 Microsoft Windows 10 will no longer receive security updates, technical assistance, or feature improvements. Panasonic TOUGHBOOK has published research highlighting the risks organisations face if they have not migrated to Windows 11 by the specified date.
The Whitepaper, ‘Navigating the Shift: The Business Case for Upgrading to Windows 11‘, examines the options available to organisations with Windows 10 devices. There are three, according to the study:
- Upgrade to Windows 11 with current hardware.
- Remain on Windows 10 and pay for Extended Security Updates (ESU).
- Invest in new hardware compatible with Windows 11.
The study is based on a survey of 200 respondents (100 in each of Germany and the UK) and was conducted in March 2025. The organisations, each with over 1,000 employees, came from a range of industries. It also examines the challenges and concerns associated with the options.
The report is divided into sections after an introduction:
- Understanding the high cost of standing still
- Key findings
- UK and Germany comparisons
- Emergency Services Findings
It concludes with a section titled “Experience the TOUGHBOOK difference,” which highlights the advantages that TOUGHBOOKS deliver to organisations looking to transition to Windows 11. Three key elements are that they are optimised for Windows 11, future-ready, and have enhanced performance. Panasonic also offers additional services, such as Mobile IT as a Service, to help organisations first migrate and then maintain their device fleets.
Chris Turner, Head of Go-to-Market, Panasonic TOUGHBOOK Europe, comments, “The window is closing for organisations to make a well-planned, measured and cost-effective transition to Windows 11 and start unlocking its benefits. The cost, security, and performance risks of delay are steadily increasing as the end-of-life deadline approaches, which is especially concerning in the critical sectors we surveyed, including emergency services, field services, and utilities, as well as defence organisations.
Understanding the high cost of standing still
As noted above, to maintain security on devices, organisations must either upgrade to Windows 11 or pay for ESU. Doing nothing risks the operational security of their organisation. What wasn’t clear from the research is any quantitative risk associated with doing nothing, but with losses from cybersecurity breaches being catastrophic, the impact could be game-ending for organisations.
Key findings
58% of respondents felt they could not protect their organisations if they didn’t refresh or invest in ESU. That percentage seems low. To support that viewpoint, 94% of organisations are concerned about the increased risk to cybercriminals without migrating to Windows 11, and 62% are extremely concerned.
Respondents seem fully aware of the risk impacts:
- Concerns are around potential data breaches (93%)
- A lack of security patches for new threats (91%)
- Compliance and regulatory risks (89%)
- Impact on business reputation (88%)
62% of devices must be upgraded or replaced completely to support Windows 11. In organisations of more than 5,000 employees, 76% can be upgraded. Organisations have different approaches to performing upgrades, with remote (46%) and in-person (54%) methods. 64% are looking to the device manufacturer to support the process. 52% of organisations have already commenced the migration.
There are challenges to upgrading:
- Application and business software compatibility (47%)
- Device downtime limiting productivity (45%)
- Waiting to coincide migration with the end of device lifecycle (40%)
While organisations want to delay the migration and leverage ESU support for Windows 10, it could reduce competitiveness. The report highlights the advantages of migrating early and the impact on productivity of staying on Windows 10.
Migrating early comes with a cost. However, while 52% of organisations that expect their migration to complete by October 2025 anticipated additional costs, 24% expected costs to decrease. The research did not include a qualitative question to understand why they believe the costs will reduce. It could, however, be due to support, with fewer support calls.
UK and Germany comparisons
The report highlights some differences between German and UK respondents. Only 47% of German organisations were extremely concerned about the increased vulnerability to ransomware and malware, compared to 76% of UK respondents. It is unclear why. 89% of UK respondents believe Windows 11 migration will increase costs (German 43%).
The top reasons for those rising costs differ between the UK and Germany, with the UK highlighting increased support costs (55%, German 44%) and in Germany, it is cybersecurity costs – 63% (UK 51%).
German organisations need fewer upgrades or replacement of hardware (56% vs 68%). While the challenges vary between countries, the report did not reveal all the data points. For example, while 54% of Germans felt that device downtime would limit productivity, this was outside the top four concerns for UK respondents.
Of the top four benefits, only two were common:
- Taking advantage of AI features (UK 34%, DE 33%)
- Increased security and protection (UK 40%, DE 47%)
Emergency Services Findings
The section examines how emergency services are approaching Windows 11 migration. 67% of emergency services devices have been or will need to be replaced/upgraded to be compatible with Windows 11. Most will stagger their migration, although it is unclear over what period.
For those who still need to migrate, 68% are concerned that they cannot adequately manage security if the migration is not completed by October 25. Does this mean that emergency services are vulnerable to cybersecurity incidents? The risks seem higher than average with concerns around:
- Increased vulnerability to ransomware and malware (94%)
- A lack of security patches for new threats (84%)
- Compliance and regulatory risks (87%)
- Potential data breaches (81%)
There are challenges with the upgrades, but one Panasonic customer noted, “Upgrading to Windows 11 was a daunting task, especially with our remote teams relying heavily on their rugged devices when attending callouts. Panasonic TOUGHBOOK not only ensured full hardware and software compatibility but also provided proactive support throughout the migration.
“This delivered a smooth, stress-free upgrade with minimal downtime, with our first responders now able to take advantage of increased performance and security.” Digital Transformation Lead, Emergency Services.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
There are concerns that organisations are not yet ready for the migration to Windows 11. There has been time to prepare, but clearly, there is much work to be done. It would have been interesting to see a more detailed analysis of how organisations compare the cost of replacements against the increased support costs.
Perhaps when it comes to Windows 12, there could be a business analysis to determine how organisations schedule their replacements to minimise the cost overheads. It is another factor in replacement strategy that doesn’t seem to have been taken into account. After all, many organisations will now face increased costs to manage their security.
For Panasonic, this is an opportunity. It offers services that can help organisations migrate to Windows 11 through upgrades and new devices. They can supply the additional resources organisations require to minimise security risks, while containing costs.
Turner added, “Organisations that are still to undertake Windows 11 migration need support to ensure their deployment is not rushed and risky. Panasonic TOUGHBOOK offers customers full transition support to ensure a seamless migration experience, maintain productivity and take the uncertainty from the process. By acting now, businesses can avoid incurring both cost and risk beyond October 2025.”
