What To Know About Windows 10 End of Support - Tanium Tech Talks #130

As the clock ticks down to Windows 10’s official end-of-life in October 2025, IT teams are facing a familiar but complex challenge: upgrade or extend?

While Windows 10 may be heading for retirement, the path forward isn’t one-size-fits-all. From hardware compatibility issues to budget constraints and legacy systems, many organizations are weighing whether to upgrade to Windows 11 or invest in extended security upgrades (ESUs) to buy more time.

To help navigate these decisions, Jason Wasser returns to walk us through how Tanium’s capabilities—Deploy, Patch, Provision, and Guardian—can help IT teams assess readiness, automate upgrades, and manage ESU licensing with precision and control.

This episode is packed with practical guidance, including a walkthrough of the new Guardian Spotlight – Windows 10 End of Support Dashboard. Whether you’re already deep into your upgrade project or just getting started, this Tech Talk offers a roadmap to help you stay secure, compliant, and efficient.

Key takeaways

• Tanium Guardian’s new dashboard centralizes everything you need to manage Windows 10 end-of-life. It provides visibility into OS versions, ESU eligibility, and upgrade readiness, helping you avoid surprises and missed endpoints.

That visibility that Tanium gives you is critical. And that’s really the first thing here that we list about how Tanium can help with this Windows 10 end of support event… that base functionality of the Tanium platform of giving you that visibility is essential for this, and for really every IT and security use case and hygiene and incident response.

• Whether to upgrade to Windows 11 or pay for ESUs depends on hardware readiness, budget, and operational needs. Organizations must weigh the cost of extended support against the feasibility of upgrading, especially when hardware limitations or specialized equipment are involved.
• Tanium Deploy supports phased, user-friendly upgrades to Windows 11. With pre- and post-notifications, compatibility checks, and self-service options, users stay informed and in control.
• Tanium allows for precise scheduling, maintenance windows, and user interaction throughout the upgrade process. Its architecture supports controlled deployment timing and user feedback collection, making the experience smoother.

Where Tanium shines is the ability to have more predictable timing and interaction with the user.

• ESU licensing is now actionable directly from the dashboard. Teams can apply and activate licenses at scale using the Guardian dashboard, reducing manual tracking and helping ensure coverage.
• Tanium’s real-time control means you can fix issues as fast as you find them. The platform not only identifies problems but enables immediate action at scale, from deploying ESU licenses to initiating upgrades.

It’s not just showing you that there’s a problem… [it’s] actually able to take action on these endpoints at speed and scale.

• Hardware compatibility checks are built in. Tanium uses Microsoft-provided PowerShell scripts to assess TPM, memory, CPU, and secure boot status—ensuring endpoints meet Windows 11 requirements.
• Provision and Patch round out the lifecycle. Tanium supports provisioning new hardware and keeping endpoints up to date with zero-touch patching.
• Self-service upgrades empower users and reduce IT overhead. End users can initiate upgrades at their convenience, minimizing disruption and improving satisfaction.
• Tanium’s dashboards help track progress and identify gaps. Visualizations show which endpoints are ineligible, unpatched, or unsupported, helping teams prioritize actions and report progress.

Additional resources

• Announcing Guardian Spotlight: Windows 10 End of Support Dashboard
• Tuning Tanium webinars (login required)
• Bare metal imaging walkthrough with Tanium Provision – Tanium Tech Talks #82
• Tanium Patch: Zero touch + self service – Tanium Tech Talks #64