The end of support means the company would now no longer be offering public security updates or fixes, software updates or technical support for Windows 7. However, businesses that haven’t migrated to Windows 10 in time can pay for Extended Security Updates (ESU). According to a local German newspaper, Handelsblatt, the German government which still has more than 33,000 computers running on Windows 7 has decided to pay €800,000 ($887,000) to Microsoft this year for ESU in order to keep their PCs updated and patched. The cost for the extended support ranges depending on whether a company is running the Enterprise or Pro version of Windows 7. For instance, those using Windows 7 Enterprise will pay $25 per device in the year 2020, $50 in 2021 and $100 in 2022. Those using Windows 7 Pro will have to $50 per machine in the year 2020, $100 in 2021 and $200 in 2022. The Handelsblatt notes that the German government started its process of migration to Windows 10 in 2018 but are still in the middle of the migration process. Apparently, 20,000 of the 85,000 machines are running Windows 7 in Berlin government offices alone, the media claims. With Microsoft no longer offering Windows 7 support, paying huge sums towards ESU instead of upgrading to Windows 10 doesn’t look like a viable option in the long run. Also, Microsoft’s ESU program is only limited to large clients and hence, it is advisable to upgrade to Windows 10 as soon as possible and not use an unsecured operating system.
