Upgrading ETC Element to Windows 10 / Security Status of the Element in the aftermath of the Windows 7 Embedded EOL

The security concerns actually run both ways. While I agree with the network admin, you should also be concerned about connecting up your console to the school network, especially because there is essentially no access control or security on the lighting console side of things. If you enable OSC (for example) anyone can discover and send OSC commands to the lighting console from the network. 

So for those reasons the only network it should be connected to is an isolated network which exclusively is used for things that the lighting console needs to talk to or listen to. Among them, it should never be connected up to the internet directly. 

As far as updating the operating system, embedded systems like these often do not receive those sorts of updates for various reasons, but among them is because they often run a very stripped down version of Windows, and so many of the threats and updates that exist to no apply to consoles. 

The way these systems are built and hardened, you'll have zero problems running a lighting console still running Windows XP like the Ion Classic, which are still going strong in two of the venues I manage. The hardware will give out before the software gives you any trouble.

The security concerns actually run both ways. While I agree with the network admin, you should also be concerned about connecting up your console to the school network, especially because there is essentially no access control or security on the lighting console side of things. If you enable OSC (for example) anyone can discover and send OSC commands to the lighting console from the network. 

So for those reasons the only network it should be connected to is an isolated network which exclusively is used for things that the lighting console needs to talk to or listen to. Among them, it should never be connected up to the internet directly. 

As far as updating the operating system, embedded systems like these often do not receive those sorts of updates for various reasons, but among them is because they often run a very stripped down version of Windows, and so many of the threats and updates that exist to no apply to consoles. 

The way these systems are built and hardened, you'll have zero problems running a lighting console still running Windows XP like the Ion Classic, which are still going strong in two of the venues I manage. The hardware will give out before the software gives you any trouble.