Microsoft has officially announced that Windows 10 will reach its end of support on 14 October 2025. After that date, Windows 10 will no longer receive feature updates, non-security fixes, or regular technical support from Microsoft.

For businesses especially, this “end-of-life” (EOL) milestone isn’t just a calendar date it has real risks for security, compliance, performance, and continuity. In this article, we’ll walk through the implications, what components like Desktop Window Manager have to do with it, how organisations in Australia  especially those relying on managed services Australia can prepare, and what options you have moving forward.

What Does “End of Support” Mean?

When Microsoft ends support for an operating system:

• No more security updates: Any newly discovered vulnerabilities will not be patched.
• No feature or usability updates: No new improvements, optimisations, or enhancements.
• No regular technical support: If something breaks, you won’t get it fixed by Microsoft via support channels.

Windows 10 machines will keep working, but they will become more vulnerable to malware, cyber attacks, compatibility issues with new software or drivers, and potential non-compliance with regulatory or industry standards.

Why Desktop Window Manager & Related Components Matter?

One system component often overlooked is the Desktop Window Manager (DWM). This is the graphical subsystem responsible for rendering windowed user interfaces: transparency effects, visual transitions, live taskbar thumbnails, and more. When Windows is fully supported, vulnerabilities in DWM can be patched, resource usage optimized, and driver issues addressed.

So, components like Desktop Window Manager are part of why staying on an unsupported Windows 10 system can become a liability because graphics subsystems, windows rendering, display drivers, all are attack surfaces or points of failure.

Risks for Businesses, Especially in Australia

For Australian companies, especially those using outsourced or external IT providers, or those using managed services in Australia, the EOL of Windows 10 has multiple implications:

1. Increased security vulnerabilities
   Once updates stop, newly discovered exploits can target unpatched flaws. Businesses in regulated industries (e.g., healthcare, finance, legal) may face data breaches.

2. Compliance and legal issues
   Running unsupported software may contravene Australian Privacy Act obligations, ISO cybersecurity standards or other regulations. This could lead to fines, liability, or reputational harm.

3. Higher operating costs over time
   Without patches, system instability, outages, or failures become more likely. Vendor software may stop supporting Windows 10, meaning you may encounter extra costs to keep legacy systems functional.

4. Compatibility and performance issues
   New hardware and newer software optimised for modern Windows versions may not work properly on Windows 10. Device drivers (especially GPU/graphics) may lag behind. DWM-related graphics performance might degrade if fixes aren’t available.

5. Operational disruption
   Unexpected failures, downtime, lack of vendor support, inability to use modern tools – all can disrupt daily operations. For organisations using managed services Australia, it may also increase the burden on the service provider, or expose gaps in existing contracts.

What Can You Do: Preparing for the Transition

If your business is still using Windows 10 or has systems that depend on it, here are steps to take. Many of these are particularly relevant if you are leveraging managed services Australia, where service providers can help you move forward safely and cost-effectively.

Role of Managed Services Australia in Smoothing the Transition

Companies offering managed services Australia are in a key position to guide businesses through this Windows 10 EOL shift. Here’s how:

• Assessment & gap analysis: They can help you audit which systems are vulnerable, which need upgrading, and the cost implications.
• Migration planning & execution: Rolling out upgrades, handling hardware deployment, ensuring minimal downtime.
• Security hardening: Ensuring components like Desktop Window Manager are stable, patched, and drivers up to date, both pre- and post-migration.
• Support & training: For staff to adjust to Windows 11 (or new systems), managing compatibility, and helping maintain productivity.
• Ongoing compliance: Ensuring that your IT environment remains compliant with relevant Australian laws, industry standards, privacy obligations.

Using managed services can allow your organisation to spread the risk, leverage expert knowledge, and ensure the transition is as painless as possible.

What Happens After 14 October 2025?

Once Windows 10 enters “end-of-support” status:

• Devices will still boot and run, but no patches for emerging threats will be issued.
• Software vendors may drop support for Windows 10 in new versions of their products.
• Security problems especially for components like the Desktop Window Manager, graphics drivers, and display subsystems—may become more frequent and unfixable.
• If using Microsoft 365 or Office apps, some features may cease to work or new features will no longer be added for Windows 10 users.
• Legal/regulatory risk may increase, especially in sectors dealing with sensitive or personal data.

Case Study: What Could Go Wrong if You Delay

Imagine a small finance consultancy in Sydney still using PCs with Windows 10. Their graphics drivers are out of date, likely giving DWM memory leaks. They use legacy software that only officially supports Windows 10. Once 2026 rolls around and new malware exploits one of the unpatched vulnerabilities in Desktop Window Manager, there is no patch. They get breached. Sensitive client data leaked. Then a regulator investigates they find the company was using an unsupported OS, no longer receiving security updates, no vendor patching plan. The cost is not just financial it’s reputation, customer trust, compliance penalties.

Making the Choice: Upgrade, ESU, or Replace?

Which option is best depends on your context:

• If your hardware supports it and the cost is manageable, upgrading all systems to Windows 11 is generally the most forward-looking solution.
• If some equipment is not compatible, then using ESU on those systems may give you breathing room while you plan replacement. But ESU is temporary and possibly expensive.
• Where devices are too old or unreliable, replacing hardware might make sense. Sometimes total cost of ownership of keeping them far exceeds cost of new machines.

Recommendations for Visitors / Customers

As a company providing IT services (or for readers who manage IT in their organisations), here are recommended actionable steps:

1. Take stock now: don’t wait until October.

2. Map out all systems – which ones have compatible hardware for Windows 11, which don’t.

3. Engage your managed services provider (or consider onboarding one) to assist with migration, security, and compliance.

4. Prioritize graphics subsystem and core OS components, including Desktop Window Manager and display drivers, to ensure minimal risk during and after transition.

5. Ensure backups are solid: data redundancy, disaster recovery plans.

6. Train your team: both technical staff and end users on new OS, workflows, security.

Conclusion

Windows 10 end of life on 14 October 2025 marks a turning point. The support window is closing, and for businesses, the risks of staying on an unsupported platform are real. From Desktop Window Manager vulnerabilities to driver incompatibility and compliance obligations, there are many levers that make early action not just wise, but essential.

If you partner with a managed services provider in Australia, leverage their expertise to plan and execute your migration. By doing so proactively, you can minimise risk, protect data, maintain performance, and ensure your IT environment is ready for the future.