Smaller companies also get the option for longer security support Windows 7

Microsoft is also giving medium and small businesses the opportunity to purchase extended support for Windows 7. This also gives those companies more time to make the switch to Windows 10.

The Extended Security Updates, or esu’s, will be available for purchase from December 1, 2019, Microsoft writes. According to the company, this is possible through the Cloud Solution Provider program with which companies purchase their licenses through Microsoft partners. It concerns small and medium-sized enterprises that run Microsoft 365, the package with Windows 10 and Office 365. From Microsoft’s text, it does not seem that users with Windows 10 only also receive the security updates.

Businesses can purchase the upgrade from December 1, 2019. The extended support will run until January 2023. The update package can be purchased on a per-computer basis and its price is increasing every year, according to Microsoft. The company does not state what the costs will be, but it refers to the CSPs where companies can purchase the support. Companies that are not customers of a Cloud Service Provider are referred by Microsoft to the general information about the end-of-life of Windows 7.

Until now, ESUs were only available to large companies with a Windows 7 Professional or Enterprise package with Volume Licensing. However, Microsoft also wants smaller companies to be given the opportunity to make the switch to Windows 10. On January 14, 2020, the operating system’s security support will end. With Extended Security Updates, companies still get security updates, but they have to pay for them.