Businesses used to paying upfront for Windows may be surprised to learn that the newest offering by Microsoft, Windows 10 Enterprise edition, will have a monthly charge. For some organizations, this move may be enough for them to rethink how they buy and manage their software.

Granted, Microsoft hasn’t exactly been quiet about their ideas to turn the Windows operating system into an “as a service” offering. It wouldn’t be the only Microsoft solution to be offered as a service, either. Microsoft Office 365 and Azure have long been provided to consumers and business customers “as a service.” It seems only natural that Microsoft move in this direction, even if it would mean that Microsoft is probably getting more out of your business in the long run than it would if you were purchasing new operating systems up front.

However, before you get nervous about how much it will cost your business to upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise, keep in mind that small monthly payments figure into budgets much easier than an investment of several hundred dollars or even several thousand. The current rate is $7 per user, per month, which means that it could become a surprisingly costly endeavor, especially for larger enterprises.

Keep in mind that this development only affects those who would want to use the Enterprise edition of Windows 10. As of this time of writing, the home and pro editions of Windows 10 will not be affected by Windows as a Service. In fact, Microsoft has gone on record and stated: “This new subscription model is not associated with our current upgrade offering or applicable to the Windows 10 consumer edition.”

In this case, a major cause for concern is the assumption that Microsoft will cease supporting its older operating systems someday, which will essentially force your business to adopt Windows 10. When this happens, you’ll either have to upgrade, for a cost, to the consumer version of Windows 10, or shell out extra cash every month for the Enterprise edition.

We think that in the long run, “as a service” offerings will be able to save your business a significant amount of revenue and allow for more flexible spending on your part. In fact, we’ve adopted “as a service” offerings for our own model of IT support. We can provide you exceptional IT support for a myriad of purposes, including network security, backup and disaster recovery, remote monitoring and management, server hosting, and much more, all as a service. You’ll pay an affordable monthly rate for hands-off IT maintenance on your part, and you’ll benefit from the understanding that you’ll have professional technicians dealing with your technology solutions.

To learn more, give us a call at (203) 261-2201.