> There is a horrifically expensive option to purchase even further extended support from Microsoft, which a few large companies may do.
It's actually not that expensive[0]:
"Year one (January 2020 to 2021), that add-on will cost $25 per device for that set of users. Year two (January 2021 to 2022) that price goes up to $50 per device. And Year three (January 2022 to January 2023) it goes up to $100 per device."
And while this requires a volume license agreement[1]:
"Windows 7 ESUs will be available to all Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise customers in Volume Licensing, with a discount to customers with Windows software assurance, Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 10 Education subscriptions."
it is not difficult or expensive to acquire[2]:
"While five licenses are required to enter into a new VL agreement, they need not all be for LTSC. According to a rep I spoke with at a Microsoft Partner, this combination would work as an upgrade from a Windows OEM license (i.e., it would allow a user who bought a PC with Windows 10 preinstalled to run Windows 10 LTSC instead): 1x Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 Single Upgrade Open Business $269.04 & 4x Microsoft Identity Manager - 1 User CAL - Open Business $7.81"
There are a lot of big companies with ThinkPad P-series mobile workstations on 7 that would cost quite a bit to replace. And the main concern isn't the cost of replacing vs. licensing, but of updating line-of-business workflows, custom apps, and user knowledge.
It's actually not that expensive[0]:
"Year one (January 2020 to 2021), that add-on will cost $25 per device for that set of users. Year two (January 2021 to 2022) that price goes up to $50 per device. And Year three (January 2022 to January 2023) it goes up to $100 per device."
And while this requires a volume license agreement[1]:
"Windows 7 ESUs will be available to all Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise customers in Volume Licensing, with a discount to customers with Windows software assurance, Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 10 Education subscriptions."
it is not difficult or expensive to acquire[2]:
"While five licenses are required to enter into a new VL agreement, they need not all be for LTSC. According to a rep I spoke with at a Microsoft Partner, this combination would work as an upgrade from a Windows OEM license (i.e., it would allow a user who bought a PC with Windows 10 preinstalled to run Windows 10 LTSC instead): 1x Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 Single Upgrade Open Business $269.04 & 4x Microsoft Identity Manager - 1 User CAL - Open Business $7.81"
[0] https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-much-will-staying-patched-...
[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2018/09/0...
[2] https://tinyapps.org/blog/windows/201811300700_windows_10_lt...