Articles
What we read and why
Ten sources that decide a desktop programme. Open the ones you need; each carries a two-paragraph summary and the link to the original
Every item below is published by the body that made the rule or the measurement. We add a short summary so you can judge whether it is worth your time, and the link goes to the original, which is free to download in every case.
Windows 10 support ends in October 2028MicrosoftThe official page of the Extended Security Updates programme.
What it is. The official page of the Extended Security Updates programme. It sets out how long Windows 10 keeps receiving security updates, what the programme costs per device per year, and when it closes for good.
Why it matters. Reading this page next to your own replacement schedule is the cheapest hour an IT department can spend this year: the price per device doubles every year of the programme, and the paid extension ends in October 2028.
The European procurement thresholds for 2026 and 2027EUR-Lex, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2152Public sectorThe regulation that fixes the amounts above which a European tender is mandatory, revised every two years by the Commission.
What it is. The regulation that fixes the amounts above which a European tender is mandatory, revised every two years by the Commission.
Why it matters. Everything below the threshold may be awarded under national rules, which is why the amount decides the route long before the supplier does. National ceilings for direct award sit far below these figures and differ per country.
The Cyber Resilience Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/2847EUR-LexThe full text of the European regulation on products with digital elements.
What it is. The full text of the European regulation on products with digital elements. It classifies operating systems as an important product, class I, and lays down obligations on vulnerability handling, reporting and documentation.
Why it matters. The reporting duty starts on 11 September 2026 and the regulation applies in full from 11 December 2027. For a buyer it is a useful checklist: any supplier of an operating system should be able to say where it stands against this text.
The European Accessibility Act, Directive (EU) 2019/882EUR-LexThe directive that sets accessibility requirements for products and services, operating systems included.
What it is. The directive that sets accessibility requirements for products and services, operating systems included.
Why it matters. It has applied since 28 June 2025 to every supplier, including the small ones. If you procure a workstation environment, the accessibility requirements land with you as well as with the supplier, so they belong in the requirements list itself.
De minimis state aid, Regulation (EU) 2023/2831EUR-LexPublic sectorThe rule that lets a public body support an undertaking up to a ceiling, with an exemption from notifying the Commission.
What it is. The rule that lets a public body support an undertaking up to a ceiling, with an exemption from notifying the Commission.
Why it matters. The ceiling is 300,000 euro per undertaking per member state over three years. Anyone financing pilots with several public bodies has to count, which is exactly why a European programme is spread across countries rather than concentrated in one.
Data protection by design and by default, EDPB Guidelines 4/2019European Data Protection BoardThe guidance of the European Data Protection Board on article 25 of the GDPR, with worked examples of what by design actually requires.
What it is. The guidance of the European Data Protection Board on article 25 of the GDPR, with worked examples of what by design actually requires.
Why it matters. Useful because it shows plainly that by design is a way of building and configuring, rather than a certificate anyone can hand over. Your own privacy officer will recognise the structure and can hold any supplier against it.
The Dutch government data protection assessments on Microsoft softwareSLM Rijk, Ministry of the InteriorPublic sectorThe published assessments and improvement agreements that the Dutch central government made about widely used office and cloud software, including what diagnostic data leaves the workstation.
What it is. The published assessments and improvement agreements that the Dutch central government made about widely used office and cloud software, including what diagnostic data leaves the workstation.
Why it matters. It is the clearest public account of how much is negotiated after the purchase rather than before it. Reading it before a desktop decision saves repeating the exercise.
ARBIT-2022, the Dutch government IT purchasing conditionswetten.overheid.nlPublic sectorThe standard conditions the Dutch state applies to IT contracts, in force since September 2022.
What it is. The standard conditions the Dutch state applies to IT contracts, in force since September 2022.
Why it matters. Article 47 covers source code escrow and article 32 covers exit. Both are the articles a buyer points at when a supplier promises continuity, and both are worth reading before the first quotation rather than at renewal.
BIO2, the renewed information security baseline for Dutch governmentbio-overheid.nlPublic sectorThe successor to the BIO, published in the Staatscourant in March 2026, aligned with ISO 27001 and 27002 and with the new European security duties.
What it is. The successor to the BIO, published in the Staatscourant in March 2026, aligned with ISO 27001 and 27002 and with the new European security duties.
Why it matters. It changes what an organisation has to demonstrate about its own workstations, from patching to logging. Any desktop proposal that ignores it will come back at the audit.
The impact of open source on the European economyEuropean Commission, study 2021A Commission study on what open source contributes to technological independence, competitiveness and innovation in Europe, with an estimate of its economic weight.
What it is. A Commission study on what open source contributes to technological independence, competitiveness and innovation in Europe, with an estimate of its economic weight.
Why it matters. It is the counterweight to the assumption that a European alternative is by definition more expensive or less mature. Numbers instead of opinions, and free to download in full.