technology transformation

The UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is upgrading tens of thousands of outdated devices to Windows 10 due to Microsoft ending support for Windows 7 in October 2025. Defra has phased out over 31,000 legacy laptops and closed one data center, with plans to decommission more. Approximately 24,000 devices are still classified as end-of-life, along with 26,000 smartphones and network components needing replacement. The next phase will focus on migrating essential applications to cloud environments to reduce technical debt and enhance productivity. Defra aims to realize the benefits of these upgrades in the next spending review cycle, but historical challenges in government technology projects may hinder progress.