Microsoft has announced a reduction in the support period for Windows 10 Enterprise Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) software platforms. Starting at the end of this year, OS releases with long-term support will receive updates for only five years, up from the ten that was previously.
According to reports, the first version of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC to be supported for five years will be Windows 10 21H2, which is expected to launch this fall. It’s worth noting that Microsoft has long been trying to convince customers to stop using Windows 10 LTSC versions unnecessarily. The developers reiterated that the goal of LTSC releases is to provide support for mission-critical systems that, for some reason, cannot or should not receive regular functional updates. Microsoft also said that the company conducted a situation analysis that found that in most cases, Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC releases do not require a 10-year lifecycle, as users update systems faster.
For users who need ten years of software platform support, Microsoft recommends switching to Windows 10 IoT LTSC, which will continue to be supported for ten years. The new version of Windows 10 IoT LTSC is expected to be released around the same time as the launch of Windows 10 21H2, i.e. this fall.
It’s also worth noting that users of Windows 10 Enterprise 2015/2016/2019 will not be affected by the new Microsoft policy. Devices running the specified OS versions will receive ten years of support, i.e. five years of mainstream and five years of extended support, during which Microsoft will release security updates. The reduced support period will only affect future Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC versions.
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