Microsoft has announced its pricing plan for businesses who wish to remain on Windows 7 but still want to continue receiving security patches and support. According to a report from Petri, starting next year the tech giant intends to start with $50 for the first year of support for Windows 7 Professional, then double in price each year. For Windows Enterprise users, an additional 50% will be added to the cost, which will also double annually:
- Year 1 (January 2020 through January 2021): Windows 7 Pro is $50 per device, Windows Enterprise (add-on) is $25 per device.
- Year 2 (January 2021 through January 2022): Windows 7 Pro is $100 per device, Windows Enterprise (add-on) is $50 per device.
- Year 3 (January 2022 through January 2023): Windows 7 Pro is $200 per device, Windows Enterprise (add-on) is $100 per device.
Microsoft is pushing its increased pricing likely as an incentive to move users over to the Microsoft 365 platform. Additionally, some business users might benefit from Microsoft’s recently announced Desktop App Assure incentive, which provides assistance for those who might run into problem with their Windows upgrade.
As it stands, only time will tell how many businesses will continue to use their current Windows 7 setups, upgrade to Windows 10 and risk running into problems, or subscribe to get assistance from Microsoft. Feel free to share your thoughts on this below.
Further reading: Microsoft, Microsoft 365, Windows 7
