The UK Government spent £312 million upgrading a fleet of computers to Windows 10 — only for Microsoft to pull support for the operating system, leaving the PCs vulnerable to viruses and malware.
More than a decade after its launch (and four years after Microsoft confirmed that it would be ending support), the US company issued the final security patch for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025.
This milestone, known as End of Life, means Microsoft will no longer provide free security updates, bug fixes, or new features for the desktop operating system. Without these critical updates, the company has warned, users who remain on Windows 10 face an increased risk of viruses and malware.
Despite this, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) only recently completed a £312 million IT upgrade — installing the very system that has just been retired. The department moved 31,500 computers from Windows 7 to Windows 10, with Windows 7 having reached its End of Life on January 14, 2020.
The upgrade wasn't instantaneous either. It was part of a two-year technology overhaul to modernise the department's computer systems. In doing so, the department successfully removed tens of thousands of outdated laptops from service and fixed 49,000 critical security weaknesses across its IT network.
The modernisation effort also involved transferring 137 older applications to updated infrastructure.
If you avoid the switch to Windows 11, you'll miss out on new Windows features, which are exclusive to the Windows 10 successor moving forward
| MICROSOFT PRESS OFFICEDefra also shut down one data centre as part of the overhaul, with plans to close more facilities in future years. These improvements support vital public services that many rely on, including systems that monitor flooding risks and manage border controls.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency's SAM service was moved to Defra's private cloud infrastructure as part of these changes. The department also applied security patches to ageing servers as a temporary measure until full replacements can be implemented.
Despite these upgrades, the department still has 24,000 computers classified as beyond their usable lifespan, alongside 26,000 mobile phones and various network equipment awaiting replacement.
Many of these remaining devices appear incapable of meeting Windows 10's performance requirements, let alone functioning adequately with Windows 11. This suggests the recent upgrade serves as a temporary fix rather than a long-term solution to the department's technology challenges.
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Despite Microsoft officially pulling the plug on Windows 10 support in October, there are a few workarounds to continue getting security updates.
For example, Microsoft's Extended Security Updates (ESU) program can add another year of free updates to the retired OS, but after October 13, 2026, another solution will be needed.
Defra hasn't clarified its plan for extended security updates. Without this additional support, the newly upgraded systems could quickly become vulnerable again, potentially leaving critical government services exposed to security risks after October 2026, when free updates cease.
Extended Security Updates (ESU) offer a way to unlock an additional one year of vital patches for Windows 10 users | MICROSOFT PRESS OFFICE Defra's confirmed next steps involve shifting essential applications to cloud-based systems and implementing automation technologies to decrease long-term technical liabilities. The department connects these changes to wider efforts aimed at enhancing operational efficiency through digital transformation of public services and elimination of paper-based processes.
However, this plan could raise concerns about the department's ability to deliver on schedule, specifically the cloud migration plans within projected timeframes and budgets. David Hill, Defra's Interim Permanent Secretary, submitted the modernisation report to the Public Accounts Committee approximately 17 months beyond the requested deadline.
There are also historical patterns that show that government technology initiatives frequently surpass their initial cost estimates and completion dates. For instance, the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT), which was an effort to modernise IT equipment, was abandoned after already spending £10 billion on the project in 2011.
The Home Office e-borders project, which was set to create a modern border control system, also failed after spending £830 million between 2003 and 2015.
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