The UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) spent £312 million updating computers to Windows 10 while the operating system was retired by Microsoft in October 2025. The decision comes as part of an effort to modernize the department's technology infrastructure.
Details of the Upgrade
The upgrade affected about 31,500 PCs, transitioning them from Windows 7 to Windows 10. This effort also addressed 49,000 critical vulnerabilities. Additionally, 137 legacy applications were modernized, a data center was closed, and the SAM service for the Animal and Plant Health Agency was moved to Defra’s private cloud. Security fixes were applied to outdated servers as a temporary measure.
- 31,500 PCs updated from Windows 7 to Windows 10
- 49,000 critical vulnerabilities addressed
- Migrated 137 legacy applications
- Closed an obsolete data center
- Updated Animal and Plant Health Agency's SAM service
Challenges and Future Plans
The report reveals that Defra still needs to replace 24,000 devices and 26,000 smartphones. These replacements, alongside remaining network infrastructure updates, are scheduled for completion over the next three years. As many devices may not support Windows 11, they will rely on Microsoft's Extended Security Updates (ESU) until October 2026.
Implications and Criticism
Critics highlight that the investment may be wasted since Windows 10 is retired, creating potential issues similar to the previous upgrade from Windows 7. This situation underscores the challenges of aligning government IT updates with software development cycles, which can have long-term impacts on the public sector's technological environment.
