Microsoft keeps forcing upgrades, adding features you never asked for, and changing how your computer behaves every few months. Sparkforge Workstation is a managed version of Windows built by Microsoft specifically for businesses. Keep Windows 10 through 2032 if you want. Or move to a business build of Windows 11 with security updates through 2034. No Copilot. No Recall. No surprises.
Managed LTSC workstations for small business. Licensed through CSP, hardened via a GPO baseline, patched on a managed schedule, tested against your line-of-business software before it lands. Win10 IoT LTSC 2021 (supported through Jan 2032) or Win11 IoT LTSC 2024 (supported through Oct 2034), chosen per workstation based on hardware, software, and runway.
None of this was your fault. It is the current shape of consumer Windows, dropped on businesses that never signed up for it.
Your PC works fine. You have had it for three or four years. One day a message tells you it does not meet requirements for the new Windows. Buy a new computer, they say. You do not need a new computer. Microsoft needs the revenue.
One week the taskbar is where you expect it. The next week it is not. The Edge browser re-pins itself. OneDrive nags you to back up folders you never asked it to. A new key on the keyboard opens an assistant you did not install. Your workflow breaks in small, daily ways.
Recall takes screenshots of everything you do, all day. Telemetry sends data out. Copilot reads your files. For a dental office, a law firm, or an accountant, that is a real compliance problem, not a theoretical one.
Three concrete problems are forcing expensive, unplanned work on SMB IT shops right now.
The CPU generation gate and TPM 2.0 enforcement rule out hardware with years of depreciation left. Win10 EOL in October 2025 forces a refresh cycle that does not match the economics your clients actually run. 24H2 tightens it further.
Each feature wave ships shell changes, default-app resets, Edge re-pin behavior, OneDrive auto-sign-in, Store auto-install of sponsored apps, and Copilot key remaps. You inherit every change, on Microsoft's cadence, with no opt-out in Pro SKUs.
Recall's rollout ships with ambiguous data-handling guarantees. Copilot touches client data in ways HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, and state privacy regimes treat as new disclosure surface. Your clients' auditors will have questions. You need a defensible answer.
Microsoft sells business editions of both Windows 10 and Windows 11 built specifically for stability. Both get ten years of security updates and zero feature updates. Neither includes Copilot, Recall, or the Microsoft Store. Neither resets your settings every few months.
Want to stay on Windows 10? You can. The business edition of Windows 10 is supported with full security updates through January 2032. Your familiar interface, your familiar workflow, years of runway.
Ready to move to Windows 11? A business edition exists that looks and behaves like the Windows 11 you have seen, without Copilot, Recall, forced updates, or the strict hardware gate. Supported through October 2034.
Most small businesses have never heard of either. They are sold through the licensing channels that Arcus Foundry has access to, and they are the same editions deployed on ATMs, medical imaging stations, and factory floors where stability actually matters. We deploy them, configure them, and manage them for you. The service is called Sparkforge Workstation.
Win10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 is a first-class option, not a fallback. Support window November 2021 through January 2032. Keeps Win11-ineligible hardware productive for another 7 years. Right choice for Win10-pinned LOB software, legacy peripherals, and workstations whose users explicitly do not want the Win11 shell.
Win11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 gives you a ten-year runway on the newer NT kernel with the same Copilot / Recall / Store exclusions. TPM 2.0 still enforced. CPU generation gate relaxed vs consumer Win11, which restores eligibility on large swathes of business-class hardware Microsoft marked ineligible. Support through October 2034.
Chosen per-workstation based on hardware, LOB compatibility, and ten-year migration preference. Both licensed through CSP and Volume Licensing on standard Microsoft terms. No workarounds, no activators.
Sparkforge Workstation is the Arcus Foundry-managed wrapper: image build, GPO baseline, LOB compatibility pass, patch management, and ongoing support.
You keep working. Your software keeps working. Your settings stop rearranging themselves. Nothing appears on your Start menu that you did not put there.
Not ready to leave Windows 10? You do not have to. We deploy a business edition of Windows 10 that gets monthly security updates through January 2032. Your familiar Start menu, your familiar taskbar, years of runway.
If you want to move to Windows 11, a business edition exists that leaves out everything customers hate. No Copilot. No Recall. No Store ads. Looks and behaves like Windows 11. Supported through October 2034.
No surprise feature updates. The interface you have today is the interface you have next year. Your shortcuts, your pinned apps, your default browser. All of it stays where you left it.
Most business computers from the last five to seven years run this fine, including many Microsoft told you were incompatible. We inventory your hardware during the consultation and tell you exactly what you can keep.
No sponsored apps installing themselves in the Start menu. No banners telling you to back up to OneDrive. No weekly popups about Microsoft accounts. The operating system does its job and gets out of the way.
When something goes sideways, you have a human who knows your specific setup, your software, and your history. Not a queue. Not a chat bot. A person.
Image methodology, licensing, baseline, and lifecycle handled end-to-end. Concrete deliverables, not a slide deck.
Same Windows kernel. Same productivity software. Different posture toward you, your hardware, and your data.
| What happens | Regular Windows 11 | Sparkforge Workstation |
|---|---|---|
| Feature updates | Yes, forced, annual | None. Ten years of security only |
| Copilot / Copilot+ PC features | Installed, enabled | Not installed |
| Windows Recall | Rolling out to Copilot+ PCs | Not installed |
| Microsoft Store | Present, with sponsored apps | Not present |
| Sponsored apps in Start menu | Yes | No |
| Telemetry | Required floor, limited user control | Hardened to minimum by policy |
| Edge re-pin on updates | Yes | Does not apply |
| OneDrive auto sign-in and folder backup | Yes | Off by policy, on-request only |
| Hardware requirements | TPM 2.0, strict CPU generation gate | TPM 2.0, gate relaxed for business use |
| Security support window | ~24 months per Windows version | 10 years |
| Who handles it when something breaks | You, or nobody | A human who knows your setup |
Offices where the software is specialized, the workflow is established, and an update that rearranges the taskbar costs real money.
Imaging software, practice management, EHR. HIPAA. Recall is a red flag your compliance officer will want eliminated, not tolerated.
Client privilege means you need to know what software is reading documents. A workstation that does not change is a workstation you can defend in an audit.
Tax and accounting software vendors certify against specific Windows versions. A stable platform means your tools stay certified through tax season.
POS, label printing, inventory, CAM, CNC. Production floors run on workstations that do not change. Stability is uptime.
Three things to know before you say yes. We would rather tell you now than have you find out later.
LTSC ships without the Store. If your workflow depends on Store-only apps, this is a poor fit. Most small businesses do not use any. We check during the consultation.
Teams, OneDrive, and the new Outlook install through a different path than on consumer Windows. We handle that during deployment. Many IT providers do not know how. That is a risk if you leave us.
Not every IT provider knows LTSC well. If you ever leave us, find someone who does, and we will help you vet them. You should never be stuck.
Four phases. Nothing touches a production workstation until the prior phase is done.
30 minutes. We learn your workflow, your software list, your hardware inventory, your compliance posture. We tell you on the call whether this is a fit.
Your line-of-business software is tested against the target image on isolated hardware. Issues are flagged with remediation paths before anything on your desk is touched.
One workstation is deployed and you run it for two weeks. Real workflow, real software. We iterate on the image based on what you find.
Remaining workstations are brought over on a schedule that fits your week. Monthly patching, remote support, and hardware planning continue from there.
Arcus Foundry is run by Nate Robertson. Before founding the company, Nate spent over 25 years in IT and more than 15 of those at Microsoft. Roles covered Windows Mobile, Visual Studio, Xbox, Zune, the Windows Division virtualization team, SIEM, Azure, Dynamics CRM, and Datacenter Execution TPM.
This is a platform we know from the inside. Sparkforge Workstation is the same configuration we deploy on our own machines, because we want the same thing the rest of the office does: a computer that stays the way we set it up.
Arcus Foundry is a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider. Licensing, imaging, and lifecycle are handled end to end by the same team that advises you.
30 minutes. We learn your setup, tell you honestly whether this is a fit, and give you a clear path either way. No sales pressure. No pricing surprises on the call.