Windows 11 - What Your Business Needs to Know
Microsoft officially released Windows 11 on October 5. Businesses should plan out their migrations.
Here is what we know:
- Requires recent hardware:
- In general, PCs bought after 2017-2018 are compatible
- Compatible CPU
- TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 2.0 support
- Some PCs may simply need TPM enabled in BIOS
- UEFI Secure Boot
- DirectX 12 capable video card
- Improved security throughout
- "New look" interface
- Free upgrade from Windows 10 for qualifying PCs
- Available in early 2022
- Windows 10 will be supported until 2025
- Expect software like Office to stop supporting Windows 10 by then
- Windows 11 Home requires Internet and a Microsoft Account to complete initial setup
- Internet Explorer removed
- Windows 11 updates are 40% smaller
- Longer cycle between upgrades
- Updated annually instead of semi-annually
- 24 months of support for each update of Windows 11 Pro and Home, instead of 18 months
- Can manually install on unsupported hardware but Windows Update won't work
What to do
Clients should therefore plan to replace older PCs. However, they can be naturally cycled out…given a normal 5- to 6-year PC lifecycle, all incompatible PCs will be replaced by 2025 anyway. Note these requirements mean most PCs upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 are not compatible with Windows 11.
Should you aggressively upgrade to Windows 11? So far there doesn't seem to be a reason. The primary benefits seem to be improved security (due to use of newer hardware), the new user interface (if you like that sort of thing), and the presumption that Microsoft will eventually stop supporting Windows 10 with newer versions of Office and other software.
Compatibility
Keep in mind that some software like backup software, 2020 tax year software, or vertical market software may not be compatible with Windows 11 right away. Microsoft does not support Office 2013 on Windows 11. A few clients who connect to (typically) government sites that require Internet Explorer will need those sites to support other browsers.
Conclusion
In general, we advise waiting at least 6 to 12 months before upgrading, or until a clear benefit is seen.
October 2021
Send this article to a friend!
Subscribe to The ITS Connection
Related articles