“Honestly, it’s a bit worrying”

Daniel Bumby, Managing Director, Simoda
With the end-of-support date now just 49 days away, how concerned are you about the number of customers, and UK organisations more generally, who are still on Windows 10?
Honestly, it’s a bit worrying. We’re getting close to the deadline and there are still a lot of organisations hanging onto Windows 10. Some are dealing with legacy systems, while others just haven’t had the time or budget to plan the move. But the risks are real. We’re encouraging everyone to act sooner rather than later. We are quite fortunate that we have addressed the challenge with most of our customers.
What percentage of your customers would you estimate have fully transitioned, or are in the process of transitioning, to Windows 11?
Roughly half, give or take. Some have fully moved over, others are mid-transition. There’s still a good number on Windows 10, but the shift is happening. The ones who’ve made the jump are already seeing the benefits: better performance, tighter security, and of course, access to newer features that just aren’t available on Windows 10, however I do say this as an avid Mac user.
What’s your advice to organisations who are struggling to move off Windows 10 due to legacy applications or hardware incompatibilities etc?
You’re not alone – this is a common challenge. My advice? Start with a proper audit. Figure out what’s holding you back, talk to us (or your partner) and let us explore options like virtualisation or cloud-based solutions for legacy apps, if hardware’s the issue.
Don’t be afraid of leasing or PC-as-a-Service models. They can ease the financial pressure. And if you absolutely need more time, consider extended support, but treat it as a short-term fix, not a long-term plan.
Is it fair to say the demand for AI PCs has been slower than expected?
There’s a lot of buzz around AI PCs, but adoption hasn’t exploded just yet. Our customers are interested, particularly where AI can genuinely improve workflows or security. It’s early days, and as the software ecosystem matures and prices settle, I think we’ll see demand pick up. Right now, it’s more of a slow burn than a big bang. When the killer app is launched, we will see a huge up turn.
See next page for more channel partner leader views…