Anyone who has invested in Windows 10 LTSC (Long Term Servicing Channel) has had the comfort of knowing that Microsoft offered 10 years of support. But this is changing.
The company has announced that the support period for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC is being halved to just five years, bringing the operating system in line with the recently announced changes to Office support. However, support for Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC will remain at 10 years.
Microsoft says that the reason for the change is that customers have provided feedback indicating that they simply do not need support for 10 years -- but there will almost certainly be plenty of customers who disagree. For anyone who needs or wants a longer support period, Microsoft recommends considering a switch to Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC.
Writing on the Windows IT Pro blog, Microsoft's Joe Lurie says:
Today we are announcing that the next version of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC will be released in the second half (H2) of calendar year 2021. Windows 10 Client LTSC will change to a 5-year lifecycle, aligning with the changes to the next perpetual version of Office. This change addresses the needs of the same regulated and restricted scenarios and devices. Note that Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC is maintaining the 10-year support lifecycle; this change is only being announced for Office LTSC and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC.
He goes on to reiterate: "We recommend that you reassess your decision to use Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC and change to Semi-Annual Channel releases of Windows where it is more appropriate. For your fixed-function devices, such as kiosk and point-of-sale devices, that need to continue using LTSC and are planning to install or upgrade to the next version, consider moving to Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC. Again, we understand the needs for IoT/fixed purpose scenarios are different and there is no change to the 10-year support lifecycle for Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC".
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