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Microsoft AMPS its latest operating system up to 11. But ...

Marc Beckers
windows-eleven

Microsoft AMPS its latest operating system up to 11. But is it one notch above the rest?

Introduction

As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, organizations must adapt to stay ahead in a highly competitive landscape. With the release of Windows 11, Microsoft has introduced what it calls: ‘a new era of computing.’ In this blog post, Anteriad will explore the key reasons why organizations should consider migrating to Windows 11 and the benefits it offers as well as the challenges faced by organisations-such as incompatible legacy hardware.

Let us start with some facts & figures:

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  • The original version of Windows 11 (also known as version 21H2) was released in October 2021. Windows 11 feature updates will release with a yearly cadence, in the second half of the calendar year. Currently the latest version of Windows 11 is version 22H2.
  • The latest major release of Windows 10 is version 21H1 which was released on May 18, 2021. Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 on October 14th, 2025.
  • There are still millions of devices used, which don´t meet the bar for Windows 11. But, according to analyst Forrester, endpoint modernization with a PC refresh and Windows 11 migration increases the endpoint security, provides better manageability and user experience.

So, why should you migrate to windowns 11?

■ Security

Security is a top concern for organizations. In previous blogs we reported on the evolving threat landscape with a growing number of sophisticated malware and ransomware attacks. Due to the hybrid work environment, PCs are getting used in environments where they are much more vulnerable to cyber threats. Windows 11 addresses these concerns by integrating advanced security features. Windows 11 provides hardware-based security through Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and Secure Boot, making it more resistant to cyber threats. With the introduction of Windows Hello for Business, organizations can utilize biometric authentication, such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning, for enhanced login security. This can help prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and applications.

■ Improved performance and efficiency

Windows 11 also offers improved performance and efficiency. The new operating system (OS) is optimized for modern hardware, utilizing the latest technologies to deliver faster boot times, improved battery life, and reduced resource consumption. Windows 11 takes advantage of the latest hardware technologies and accelerates performance through optimized hardware utilization. For example, Windows 11 is optimized to leverage the processing power of latest families of Intel CPUs with efficient and performant cores. The OS is designed to make the most efficient use of the available cores, ensuring that tasks and applications run smoothly and efficiently. This can result in better overall performance, faster application responsiveness, and smoother multitasking experiences, according to the manufacturer.

■ User experience and productivity

Microsoft also claims that Windows 11 represents a significant leap forward in terms of user experience & productivity. It strengthens collaboration within organizations by integrating with Microsoft 365 services. It also provides contextual recommendations for more efficient workflows across Windows with suggestions for files, contacts, and actions. And in an era of increased working from home (WFH) and working from anywhere, Windows 11 is designed to support hybrid work enhancing the Microsoft Teams experience, enabling users to connect with colleagues, join meetings, and share content. The integration of Microsoft Teams directly into the taskbar has been designed to streamline communication and collaboration workflows, to promote efficient teamwork and productivity. In this latest release, videoconferencing becomes smarter and easier including intelligent noise canceling, and background blur. Windows 11 includes several other features that can offer improved productivity for your organization. For example, it includes a new feature called “Snap Layouts” which allows users to quickly arrange multiple windows on their desktop for better multitasking. It also includes a new feature called “Snap Groups” which allows users to save groups of apps together for easy access.

■ System Management

Windows 11 offers enterprise-grade management and deployment tools to facilitate the migration process and ongoing system management. Current management tools provide centralized control, and it offers a streamlined approach to the management of devices, updates, and security policies. These tools simplify the migration process and enable efficient management of the Windows 11 ecosystem within the enterprise.

■ Testing

Finally, in terms of testing, Microsoft Windows 11 Version 23H2, due for release this autumn, this one shares the same servicing branch and code base as last year’s release (22H2), which could mean less time for IT managers in testing according to Techfinitive.

Why shouldn't I migrate to windows 11... yet?

■ Hardware requirements

Perhaps the biggest reason Windows 11 has received some negative comments, but not as bad as for some of its past releases, is the new hardware requirements and especially the requirement for the TPM chip, but for some commentators the incompatibility was not with the TPM module but with the CPU itself, especially 32bit processors, as Windows 11 will only run on 64-bit Intel or AMD chips. Depending on a company’s refresh cycle, some organisations have already refreshed their fleet of PCs and Laptops and have been unaware that the CPU not the TPM chip would be responsible for incompatibility.

■ Two Year timeframe to decide

Although it would be fair to say that the longer companies take to migrate, the more complex the process is, some firms are adopting a wait and see approach especially when the support for Windows 10 doesn’t end till October 2025, So although Microsoft has stated it will not be releasing anymore features to Windows 10, save for security patches, some companies are asking if they really need to refresh fleets now — especially if they have just recently done it to support more Windows 11. And although as we have discussed above, the new OS has been designed to support and sustain hybrid work, sometimes he first iterations of a major release are not always bulletproof out of the box and require revisions and patches further down the line. Although Microsoft has said new features will be released with a yearly cadence, some firms are asking if it would be best to wait for the next hardware refresh to ensure compatible TPM and CPUS and an OS that has been out in the field with enough time to be stable.

■ Retraining requirements

While imitation is often the finest form of flattery, the look and feel of Windows some commentators have noted is aligning to that of Android and iOS and although, there are promises of better user experience that come with this UI, such as streamlined videocon-ferencing capabilities within Windows 11, users get used to where to find things and exe-cute things in a particular environment. When features and access menus are changed, users need more time or more training to access the features and tools they are familiar with as the user interface (UI) takes some time to navigate and adjust to which may brief-ly cause a dip in productivity or an increase in tickets to your help desk.

■ Performance

Usually on a major release, you usually see speeds and feeds that exclaim how much fast-er the latest version of the OS is, compared to the last one. And although Intel’s Thread Director—an API that works between the CPU core and the OS for performance and efficiency improvements, is designed to work for both Windows 10 and 11, the folks at PC World didn’t find that tests with an Intel core didn’t see any major or significant improve-ments in performance of Windows 11 vs Windows 10. However, we do note that only a few functionalities of Intel’s Thread Director are available for Windows 10 versus 11 and further.

■ Artificial Intelligence

Perhaps the most controversial IT topic right now is the rapid development and deploy-ment of Artificial Intelligence onto devices, into the cloud and its potential impact, as we examined in last month’s Knowledge Exchange on AI and how companies respond to its adoption. With Windows 11, early demos hinted that AI technology such as the Windows Copilot AI assistant would be more deeply integrated with the new OS, according to Barry Collins at Techfinitive but this doesn’t seem to be the case for test releases:
“IT departments will have a big decision to make on whether to permit employees to use AI tools, with the inherent risks of AI-generated content not being accurate or reflective of company policy”, Collins said.

■ Cloud migration

With the increasing migration to cloud and hybrid cloud environments, some commen-tators are predicting that in the future companies may be moving to a more Open Source Model where companies will ditch the OS licensing fees in favour of paying for engineer-ing expertise and support. Like in the old mainframe days or the Network Computing days, Oracle’s Larry Ellison promised us in the 1990s, the applications, storage, security, and processing power returns to the “centre” and away from the endpoint in a Desktop-as-a-Service model, which is being utilised by the healthcare and financial companies where privacy of personal information is very important. However, with the Hybrid Work Model, we have seen the request for more powerful endpoints able to provide performance for collaboration tools (Zoom, Teams, Webex) in addition to the normal workload. And with the Cloud and SaaS model used for most of the software/applications, not only the CPU performance but also the connectivity performance of a PC becomes important.

■ Final Thoughts

Apart from security patches, Microsoft has announced there will be no new features developed for Windows 10 in the next couple of years and in consideration of how fast technology and security vulnerability moves, in addition to the sudden surge in hybrid working, it would seem prudent to consider migrating to Windows 11 when it makes sense to in the next couple of years or at least planning PC fleet refreshes with compara-ble hardware, especially CPUs. Consider aligning training of the new interface before or whilst rolling out the new OS, not after and ensure help desk staff are familiar with the FAQs that come with all software upgrades to reduce dips in staff productivity the new system was supposed to improve. And make sure you are in step with the latest security features the new OS offers to help fend off new and nefarious attacks into your central and remote environments. In addition, with new loads on CPUs for Windows 11ing or remote access to applications in the cloud it would seem for the increasing adoption of WFH and WFA, Windows 11 migration is a good step in order to take your organization one notch above your competition.

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*The images in this post were created using AI.
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