Panasonic TOUGHBOOK Research Highlights Urgency of Windows 11 Migration

Panasonic Connect TOUGHBOOK

Wed, Jul 23, 2025, 1:00 AM 6 min read

Critical infrastructure organisations face increased security, compatibility, performance, cost, and compliance risks if they delay upgrading to Windows 11.

Bracknell, UK. 23^rd July 2025 – Panasonic TOUGHBOOK has released research revealing the challenges and concerns for organisations navigating Windows 10 end-of-life and migrating to the Windows 11 operating system*. With support for Windows 10 ceasing on 14^th October 2025, Panasonic’s research shows organisations that have not yet completed their migration are concerned about security risks, costs, and software compatibility issues arising from out-of-support software.

Panasonic’s whitepaper, ‘Navigating the Shift: The Business Case for Upgrading to Windows 11’ also explores the extent of hardware refreshes needed to support Windows 11, and reveals concerns about the impact of device downtime during upgrade cycles.

Standing still presents significant security risks and cost implications
One of the biggest challenges surveyed organisations face is the security risk of inaction or delaying their Windows 11 migration. Ninety-eight percent of organisations surveyed say they are ‘likely’ to invest in Microsoft’s Extended Security Update (ESU) if they have not completed migration to Windows 11 by October.

More than half (58%) are not confident that they will be able to manage device security without either completing the migration or investing in ESU. They are concerned that if they don’t migrate or purchase ESU, they will be exposed to higher ransomware and malware risk (94%), data breaches (93%), a lack of patches for new security threats (91%), compliance risks (89%) and the impact on business reputation (88%).

Cost is another concerning factor for organisations delaying their Windows 11 migration beyond October 2025. Two-thirds predict that they’ll face higher costs overall, with 55% expecting these will come in the form of higher cybersecurity expenses. With Microsoft advising that an enterprise with 1,000 devices will face an ESU bill for approximately £320,000 over the three years that ESU is available, the cost of delay is tangible and immediate

In addition, 48% predict increased support costs and 46% believe business continuity risks will have cost implications. Increased maintenance costs (40%) and hardware costs (38%) are also factors.

Software upgrade means hardware replacement and reduced productivity
Surveyed organisations operate an average of 4,000 devices and estimate that 62% either have been, or will still need to be replaced or upgraded, to ensure compatibility with Windows 11. This rises to 76% of devices in organisations with more than 5,000 employees.