Technology Record - Issue 22: Autumn 2021

16 www. t e c h n o l o g y r e c o r d . c om MAR K E TWATCH Microsoft productivity solutions make hybrid working easier Windows 11, Windows 365 and Cloud PC help businesses give employees the flexibility to work anywhere N ew productivity solutions from Microsoft are helping business users to be more productive as remote and hybrid working become commonplace. The new Windows 11 operating system will be available on 5 October 2021, when a free upgrade to Windows 11 will begin rolling out to eligible Windows 10 PCs, and devices pre-loaded with Windows 11 will become available for purchase. The operating system was unveiled in June and has since been tested by the Windows Insider community to improve the user experience. Also new this year is Windows 365, a service that will bring Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems to the cloud. Users can access their personalised PC experiences on any device, which Microsoft says could give businesses a simple, secure and powerful strategy for hybrid working. The service – which became available in August – gives users a more secure and productive experience by storing information in the cloud, rather than on a device. However, the service leverages the power of both the cloud and the device in a new ‘hybrid personal computing’ category called Cloud PC. “Just like applications were brought to the cloud with software-as-a- service, we are now bringing the operating system to the cloud, providing organisations with greater flexibility and a secure way to empower their workforce to be more productive and connected, regardless of location,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, at the Microsoft Inspire 2021 event in July. According to Microsoft, Windows 365 will help business owners address many of the challenges they faced before the pandemic, and those created by it. “Hybrid work has fundamentally changed the role of technology in organisations today,” said Jared Spataro, corporate vice president of Microsoft 365. “With workforces more disparate than ever before, organisations need a new way to deliver a great