As part of their evolution in performance, security, and infrastructure, the major operating system (OS) providers – Microsoft, Apple etc. – provide an updated version of their OS at fairly regular intervals. Most commonly provided as a free upgrade to existing users, it will feature a unique set of enhancements compared with the previous version.
Windows 11 is the latest iteration in the Microsoft family, the biggest change compared with Windows 10 is the user experience – Microsoft Teams and other new tools are built in, and there is a shiny new interface to get your head round which is supposed to simplify the usability even further. As Windows Chief Product Officer Panos Panay told the BBC, he wants it to be simple for his 89-year-old Dad to upgrade to and use. What’s more, Windows 11 heavily features Microsoft’s “Power Automate” platform which helps users to semi-automate repetitive tasks and processes, however the adoption rate of this platform is currently low and so few businesses will be familiar with the benefits that this offers.
It’s free, should you upgrade straightaway?
At SCG, as part of our remote IT support package, we highlight the benefit that we automatically oversee and rollout updates to help maximise the performance of your network. In the case of security updates, this is entirely true – it’s part of keeping your systems safe – but in the case of an OS upgrade, things are a little more personal.
From a security and functionality standpoint there is little difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11. Windows 11 does bring some nice new features, but they are optional ones and upgrading to Windows 11 may not bring you any advantages. What’s more, there are currently no disadvantages to maintaining Windows 10 because it is not becoming obsolete until 2025, so will continue to receive feature and security updates until then. Windows 10 is familiar and its secure, so hold your horses on pressing that upgrade button just yet.
Instead of automatically upgrading our customers, SCG is working on a case-by-case basis with our clients and offering you the choice. From the perspective of the new OS, it’s free and it does have some nice new interface features, so if you want to adopt it, we’ll be happy to roll it out. From a technical perspective however, there is work to be done checking your existing system infrastructure to ensure it can support Windows 11. The new OS needs a lot more processing power, so we’re carrying out our checklist ‘Windows 11 Suitability Rating’, which can tell you whether your existing hardware will cope. The system requirements are very high, best suited to devices bought later than 2018, and with 16GB of RAM ideally, although 8GB of RAM will likely cope.
Assuming your systems can take it then we’re happy to carry out the upgrade if you would like us to. If your system can’t support the new system, then it will be a case of sticking with Windows 10 and avoiding any CapEx or upgrading your systems so that it can support the new platform first. In the meantime, SCG is upgrading our own internal help desk PCs to Windows 11 so that we are all familiar with the interface and can answer any questions and queries that you have.
Unless you really can’t wait to try Windows 11, we’ll be in touch with you directly over the coming months about whether you would like to upgrade. If you have any questions, please do give us a ring on 01453 700 800.
P.S. Don’t forget, while you can choose between Windows 10 and Windows 11 at the moment, no business should still be using Windows 7 which is an obsolete platform and putting your network at risk. Despite being phased out years ago, millions of devices still use Windows 7 and we still find it in business infrastructure, so ask us for a PC audit to check it isn’t putting your network at risk…