2025 has been a busy year for IT departments, with significant hardware refresh projects across both end-user devices and data center infrastructure. One of the most impactful drivers has been the ongoing migration to Windows 11. Industry estimates suggest that approximately 250 million computers worldwide still rely on Intel processors older than 8th generation—hardware that does not meet Windows 11 requirements.

With Microsoft’s support for Windows 10 ending in October 2025, organizations have been working hard to phase out these legacy systems. At this point, it’s estimated that about 70% of the hardware below the upgrade threshold has either been decommissioned or is in the process of being replaced. While these older machines will remain operational, continuing to use them will introduce increasing risk due to the lack of security updates and declining compatibility—especially as AI-driven platforms become more integrated into enterprise workflows.

One particularly interesting trend in this refresh cycle is the surprising strength of the recovery value for retired hardware. Traditionally, large-scale refreshes flood the market with used equipment, driving resale values down due to oversupply. This time, however, we’ve seen a sustained or even rising recovery value throughout the year.

What’s driving this anomaly? One likely factor is the impact of U.S. tariffs on imported electronics, which may be increasing demand for domestically available, fully functional used assets. As a result, the influx of decommissioned equipment is being absorbed by a more robust secondary market—providing a welcome financial offset to the high costs of hardware upgrades.

As organizations continue down the path of refresh and modernization, it’s important not to lose sight of key pillars: security, compliance, sustainability, and effective IT asset management (ITAM). Balancing innovation with operational stability will help ensure your organization’s commitment to your stated ITAM goals—both now and beyond the 2025 Windows 10 end-of-life milestone.