Running Windows via Boot Camp on old Macs

[dukane123]

Hello all -

I am responsible for managing 14 iMacs at my workplace. Recently, their age has begun to show in that they are not eligible for macOS upgrades past 10.13 High Sierra (they are Mid-2011 models). We run software on these computers that will soon stop supporting High Sierra, so this problem has to be solved sooner rather than later.

I would like to know what your opinions are on buying 14 Windows 10 licenses, and running Windows on each iMac through Boot Camp as the primary operating system. Buying 14 Win10 licenses would be much cheaper than a new Mac for every workstation, and since our office software also supports Windows, we would not have to worry about incompatibility issues as macOS High Sierra becomes unsupported.

Are there any issues that anyone sees with this setup, or any recommendations for a better setup?

Thank you for your time,
Matteo

 

[spamjim]

This really depends on what you're doing with these systems. What software is being used that's about to stop supporting High Sierra?

If you have security covered, you can keep running Mac OS on these as long as the hardware lasts. I still run OS 9 from my portable USB drive (via Sheepshaver) to pull up some old files for my company.

9+ years is a good run for any computer. Aside from OS upgradeability, it may be important to upgrade hardware for better productivity. Your business could be losing money with old, slow systems.

 

[dukane123]

These machines are used in exam rooms in a medical office so that medical staff can access patient charts (electronic medical record). It is likely that within a year, the EMR software will stop supporting High Sierra. In addition, Sophos (the antivirus installed on the computers) is going to stop supporting High Sierra in October. The computers aren't used for much of anything else, but it is important that we have a working antivirus on them to protect patient information.

 

[spamjim]

If the EMR software is available for Linux, you'd be set forever.

If Windows 10 and versions in the near future are supported, it looks like your plan with Windows is the way to go. However, there could be an issue with using Windows as "the primary operating system".

For ideal security, you really only want one operating system installed on a computer. If you keep an older Mac OS as a boot option (or allow someone to boot from USB or optical media), somebody could get into things that they shouldn't.

 

[dukane123]

The EMR is only Windows or Mac OS, so Linux is not a valid option. I will definitely run High Sierra as long as I can, and then depending on how much the office is willing to spend, I will either go ahead with Boot Camp or opt to buy all new Macs.

Thank you for your help, spamjim.