Put End-of-Life Software to Rest

This article warns that relying on end-of-life (EOL) software significantly increases organizational risk and operational cost, often exacerbated by budget constraints and shadow IT/unmanaged devices (with a 2023 finding that 47% of companies allow access from unmanaged endpoints). It advises conducting full software audits (including BYOD), tracking EOL status via tools like endoflife.date and osquery, establishing clear ownership for remediation within patch/compliance processes, and enforcing device trust policies that block EOL software while communicating remediation steps to users. With Windows 10 EOL approaching in 2025, it stresses early planning, leadership buy-in, and user communication to ensure timely migration and reduce exposure.