If your business builds or operates devices on Microsoft Windows IoT and Embedded products, you have heard of Lifecycle policies. Lifecycle policies are there to give customers consistent, transparent, and predictable guidelines for software support and servicing. The timeline for each product is different, so knowing key dates will help you make informed decisions about when to update, upgrade or make other changes to your software.
What’s the difference between EOS and EOL?
The Microsoft Lifecycle policies generally refer to EOS, or end of support (sometimes referred to as end of service). After these dates, no further security updates will be made, potentially putting your devices, business, and customers at a security risk.
After the period of service and support has passed, a product moves to EOL, or end of life. This means that the license can no longer be purchased, nor shipped to end customers.
For Windows Embedded products released prior to Windows 10, Microsoft offered a 10+5 model: 10 years of support and an additional 5 years before EOL, for a total of 15 years of product availability. Starting with Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, Microsoft aligned the EOS and EOL dates, for a total of just 10 years of product availability.
Extended Security Updates (ESU) are available for a number of Windows Embedded editions, including Windows 7 Embedded, Windows Embedded Standard 7, and more. ESU is offered for up to an additional three years past the end of support via official suppliers like Bsquare.
How do I know if my Windows Embedded licenses are at EOS?
With so many different products on the market, it can be easy to lose track of end of lifecycle dates. Our team often gets questions around how long Microsoft Windows IoT and Embedded products will be supported for, such as “When will support for Windows 7 Embedded end?” and “When will Windows 10 IoT Enterprise be nearing EOS?”
Since Bsquare is a 25-year Authorized Microsoft Distributor, you can be assured you will be given plenty of heads up on end of support dates and get superior guidance when upgrading to a new operating system and with licensing compliance. However, it is important to have an overview so you can plan. You can find all the mainstream end of support dates and extended support dates of Microsoft Windows IoT and Embedded products we sell, in the graph below.
| Windows Embedded version | Date of availability | Mainstream end of support date | Extended support date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 Professional (FES7) | October 22, 2009 | January 13, 2015 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows 7 Professional for Embedded Systems | October 22, 2009 | January 13, 2015 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows 7 Ultimate | October 22, 2009 | January 13, 2015 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 | N/A | January 22, 2011 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 | N/A | April 29, 2009 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows Embedded Standard 7P and 7E | July 29, 2010 | October 13, 2015 | October 13, 2020 |
| Windows Embedded Standard 7 (WES7) | July 29, 2010 | October 13, 2015 | October 13, 2020 |
| Windows Embedded 7 POSReady | September 10, 2011 | October 11, 2016 | October 12, 2021 |
| Windows 10 IoT Enterprise Semi-Annual Channel | July 29, 2015 | October 14, 2025 | October 14, 2025 |
| Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2016 (LTSC) | August 2, 2016 | October 12, 2021 | October 13, 2026 |
| Windows Server 2019 SKUS | March 4, 2019 | January 9, 2024 | January 9, 2029 |
| Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 (LTSC) | November 13, 2018 | January 9, 2024 | January 9, 2029 |
| SQL Server IoT 2019 SKUS | November 4, 2019 | July 1, 2025 | August 1, 2030 |
| Windows CE 6.0 | November 3, 2006 | April 9, 2013 | April 10, 2018 |
| Windows Server 2008 | May 6, 2008 | 13 January, 2015 | January 14, 2020 |
| Windows Server 2012 | October 30, 2012 | September 10, 2018 | October 10, 2023 |
| Windows Server 2016 | October 15, 2016 | November 1, 2022 | December 1, 2027 |
| Windows Server 2019 | November 13, 2018 | September 1, 2024 | September 1, 2029 |
Products with a fixed lifecycle policy usually offer ten years of support. The first five years offer mainstream support, after which the product is generally no longer enhanced but fixes for security and reliability issues are still made. The key dates to look out for are the end of extended support dates, after which Microsoft ceases to make security updates.
What if my product is at EOS?
Bsquare, as an authorized distributor for the Windows 10 IoT family, Windows Server, SQL Server, Windows CE, and Windows 8/7 Embedded Products, can support you in various ways when a product you use is nearing its extended support date:
- If you are running devices on Windows Embedded Standard 7 (also sometimes referred to as WES7), Windows 7 Professional (FES7), Windows 7 Professional for Embedded Systems and Windows 7 Ultimate but ran out of time to upgrade to Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, then Bsquare can help you buy time with Extended Security Updates. Read more here.
- We can advise and help you upgrade to Windows 10 IoT Enterprise.
- Save time and trouble with your next upgrade with SquareOne, an all-in-one recovery, upgrade, and imaging solution for embedded and fixed-purpose devices such as point-of-sale kiosks, healthcare devices, digital displays, and handheld terminals.
We hope the overview above is a handy reference to you when planning your upgrades and to keep your devices and services secure. With the success and security of your business, products, and customers in mind we are here to help you keep your devices up to date. You can contact us here for advice and help.