Microsoft Launched Windows 11

Microsoft launched Windows 11 on October 5th, 2021. Many Windows 10 workstations will be eligible for a free upgrade, and Windows 11 will likely start showing up loaded on new PCs in the next year. End of support for Windows 10 is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025. Upgrades will become available to PCs from Microsoft on a rolling approach taking into consideration hardware eligibility, reliability metrics and the age of the device. It is currently estimated that the rolling upgrades will be made available to all eligible devices by mid-2022.

As with any upgrade, it is critically important that businesses reach out to their 3rd party (non-Microsoft) software providers to verify compatibility and support before migrating to a new desktop operating system, in this case, Windows 11. Initial reports are that Windows 11 has very high out-of-the-box compatibility with current Windows 10 based software (+90%.) This estimate of 90% compatibility may be high as our technical staff have already identified software used by our customers which will not run on Windows 11 today.

At Networks Unlimited, we support a staged approach to deployment of new operating systems. For most small businesses that means upgrading just one or two workstations after validating compatibility with software publishers. Upgrades should be provided to your business’s savvier technical users, as new user interfaces and functionality can be confusing and frustrating.

We are currently investigating ways to lock users out from upgrading their PCs so that businesses can go through their own validation steps and testing with a plan. For now, users should be instructed NOT to upgrade their PCs.

Please reach out to us if you have additional questions or concerns. As always, we are just a phone call away and are willing to answer any of your computer/network/security concerns or questions.

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