That Old Tech? You're Still Paying for It Every Month

Old technology rarely sends a bill. It costs you in smaller ways: slow mornings, repeat repairs, security risk, and subscriptions nobody remembers signing up for. Because no single item looks expensive, the drain goes unnoticed for years. When I walk through a new client's office, the first thing I look at is the oldest computer in the building. It's usually the one costing them the most.

Windows 10 is now a paid extra

Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Since then, a Windows 10 computer only gets security fixes if the business pays for Extended Security Updates: $61 per computer for the first year, $122 for the second and $244 for the third. Years can't be skipped. The first paid year ends October 13, 2026.

For most machines, that money is better spent on a replacement. A computer old enough to miss the Windows 11 requirements is usually slow enough to cost you staff time every day. Paying to keep it alive for another year buys security fixes and nothing else.

Slow computers cost staff time

A few minutes lost to a slow startup, a frozen program or a reboot doesn't sound like much. Multiply it by every person, every day, for a year, and an aging computer often costs more in lost time than a new one costs to buy.

Repairs that keep coming back

The same printer jam, the same server warning, the same laptop that needs "just one more" fix. Each repair is small. Together they are a subscription you never meant to buy.

Software and subscriptions nobody uses

Most businesses pay for licenses belonging to people who left, tools that were replaced, and add-ons that came with a trial. An annual review of every subscription almost always pays for itself.

Security you can't add back

Old routers, firewalls and servers stop getting security updates long before they stop working. They keep running, so they stay in place, and they become the easiest way into the network.

Repair or replace?

• Replace computers that can't run Windows 11, or that are past four to five years old.
• Replace any network equipment or server that no longer gets security updates, even if it seems fine.
• Repair when the fix is cheap, the device is supported, and the problem is not the third of its kind this year.
• Plan replacements on a schedule, a few machines a year, so you never face replacing everything at once.

Find the drain in an afternoon

• List every computer with its age and Windows version.
• List every network device and server, and check whether it still gets updates.
• Pull a year of software and subscription charges, and cancel what nobody uses.
• Put the replacements into next year's budget, spread across the quarters.

Every fall we go through this list with our clients, so replacements land in next year's budget instead of in an emergency.