Elly Yates-Roberts |
Organisations that are eager to try out Windows 11 but are not yet ready – or able – to upgrade their hardware to meet the minimum hardware specifications for Windows 11 should consider deploying Windows 11 on a Windows 365 device.
By using Windows 365, enterprise IT organisations can quickly test and deploy Windows 11 to secure their endpoints while offering their users an experience that is designed for hybrid work.
In many organisations, operating system upgrades are managed alongside hardware upgrades. While this strategy can spread the effort of an operating system upgrade out over a period of years, it doesn’t allow the enterprise to take advantage of the important security feature improvements that are available in Windows 11.
Windows 365 Enterprise supports Windows 11 for all cloud machines provisioned after 5 October 2021. Instead of hosting the operating system and applications on the local machine, Windows 365 allows users to experience Windows 11 as a streaming desktop, effectively turning the host device into a thin client.
A traditional enterprise deployment of an operating system upgrade can be an expensive and time-consuming endeavour. IT organisations are tasked with procuring hardware that supports the new operating system requirements, provisioning test machines, then managing the task of replacing the machines in the hands of the users with the new hardware. Often the user is hesitant to turn the old machine over to IT for fear of losing some key application or configuration.
However, by using Windows 365 as a deployment strategy, enterprises can quickly test whether their environment is ready for Windows 11 without making significant hardware investments. When the organisation is ready to deploy the Windows 11 machines to its user community, it can simply assign the appropriate Windows 365 licence. Users that are concerned about turning in older machines aren’t required to do so – they can log in to the Windows 365 Cloud PC from their existing device. This allows them to experience Windows 11 while providing them with the ability to easily revert back to the Windows 10 environment if necessary.
At Synergy Technical, we believe that Windows 11 running on a Windows 365 Cloud PC is the fastest way to both increase endpoint security and provide users with the best computing experience.
Rohana Meade is president and CEO of Synergy Technical
This article was originally published in the Winter 21/22 issue of Technology Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.