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Microsoft has extended support for Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) until further notice, citing concerns from customers about deprecation and limited scenarios where the service remains necessary. However, industry experts argue that WSUS is an outdated solution that lacks the capabilities essential for today's security demands.
Microsoft will continue to support Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) until April 2025, despite its outdated nature. The decision is driven by limited scenarios where WSUS remains necessary due to contractual or legal obligations. Extending support for WSUS does not address the underlying issue of Microsoft's broader strategy to phase out WSUS in favor of cloud-based solutions. Microsoft is shifting its focus towards cloud-based solutions like Azure, Intune, and Windows Autopatch, which offer greater scalability, security, and reduced maintenance requirements. Customers relying on WSUS should start planning for a migration to more modern solutions to take advantage of the benefits of cloud-based patching.
Microsoft has announced that it will continue to support Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), a patch management tool that has been largely surpassed by cloud-based solutions, due to its inability to keep pace with the modern security landscape. The decision to extend support for WSUS was made in response to feedback from customers who expressed concerns about the deprecation of the service.
In April 2025, Microsoft had originally planned to end support for WSUS, a system that has been around since the early 2000s and is seen as an outdated solution by many industry experts. The company's decision to keep support running was driven by the limited but critical scenarios where WSUS remains necessary, such as environments where it is explicitly mandated by contractual or legal obligations, or where it is the only viable method for servicing multiple Windows clients in air-gapped or highly restricted networks.
However, even these niche scenarios are not a justification for maintaining an outdated system that has been surpassed by more modern and efficient solutions. Gene Moody, field CTO at Action1, pointed out that WSUS lacks the capabilities essential for today's security demands, including the ability to enforce updates, provide real-time visibility, and distinguish between offline laptops and devices with connectivity issues.
The decision to extend support for WSUS is a temporary reprieve, but it does not address the underlying issue of Microsoft's broader strategy. The company's long-term goal remains to phase out WSUS in favor of cloud-based solutions that offer more modern and efficient patching capabilities.
In recent years, Microsoft has been shifting its focus towards cloud-based solutions such as Azure, Intune, and Windows Autopatch. These solutions offer a range of benefits over traditional on-premises systems like WSUS, including greater scalability, improved security, and reduced maintenance requirements.
Despite the limitations of WSUS, Microsoft's decision to extend support for the service is likely driven by the desire to provide a temporary solution for customers who may not be able to migrate to more modern solutions immediately. However, it also highlights an oversight in Microsoft's broader strategy and underscores the need for greater investment in cloud-based patching solutions.
As the industry continues to shift towards more modern and efficient patching solutions, it is likely that WSUS will continue to fade into obscurity. In the meantime, customers who rely on the service are being given a temporary reprieve, but they would do well to start planning for a migration to more modern solutions in order to take advantage of the benefits that cloud-based patching offers.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Microsoft-Extends-Support-for-Windows-Server-Update-Services-WSUS-Amidst-Industry-Shift-Towards-Cloud-Based-Patching-Solutions-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/04/08/microsoft_wsus_extended_support/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/windows-server-update-services-live-to-patch-another-day/ar-AA1CxhG9
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/windows-itpro-blog/windows-server-update-services-wsus-deprecation/4250436
Published: Tue Apr 8 11:18:29 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
