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As of October 5, 2021, the free upgrade to Windows 11 began rolling out to eligible Windows 10 PCs, and PCs that come pre-loaded with Windows 11 are available for purchase. Business users are able to treat this like other Windows 10 feature updates. Microsoft expects all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.
If you have a Windows 10 PC (for home users) eligible for the upgrade, Windows Update will let you know when it's available. You can also check to see if Windows 11 is ready for your device by going to Settings > Windows Update and selecting Check for updates. Feature updates for Windows 11 are now changing to annual instead of Windows 10 twice-annual schedule. Windows 10 will still be supported and receive monthly security updates during this transition. Windows 10 will exit support on October 14, 2025. Windows 11 requirements have changed – notably, a TPM 2.0 hard requirement, only 64 Bit OS support, and a minimum of 64 GB storage is needed.
Windows 11 for Enterprise brings a host of new features and capabilities. We've gone through and categorized them into three main categories: Collaboration and Productivity, Security, and End-User Benefits.
Power Automate for desktop is included with the OS. End users can create flows with this low-code app to help them save time when completing everyday tasks. For example, users can create flows that save a message to OneNote, notify a team when there's a new Forms response, get notified when a file is added to SharePoint, and more.
Hybrid work is here to stay. Internal and external collaboration and productivity are now more than ever the benchmark for driving business value, improving the employee experience, and fostering culture. Windows 11 for Enterprise enables organizations to increase productivity and focus with a simple, powerful user experience. Added hybrid collaboration features include:
The most secure Windows yet, Windows 11 for Enterprise brings increased security with hardware-based integrity protection in Windows 11, from the silicon to the Cloud. Windows 11 is optimized with virtualization-based security features, a baseline Windows security leveraging TPM 2.0 for a hardware root of trust, secure boot and BitLocker drive encryption, and a Secured-core that utilizes advanced processor capabilities to provide protection from firmware attacks.
Windows 11 includes a seamless Azure Virtual Desktop (WVD) experience, where apps running AVD can integrate directly into the OS and run just like another app. This means an organization gives their end uses the security they need while working from anywhere. Additional features of Windows 11 Enterprise for security include:
The end-user experience has built-in assistance features to help individuals meet goals through a simple and intuitive interface. Designed for users to focus on what matters with an improved, yet familiar, Windows visual – Windows 11 for Enterprise makes adoption easy. The following features help users stay on task in an efficient manner:
Windows 11 compatibility is more limited than Windows 10. Generally, a system needs to have been purchased in the last 18 months to be likely to be compatible. Interlink can help your organization leverage AutoPilot for new systems deployment and Endpoint Manager for controlling the upgrade process.
Interlink Cloud Advisors experts are here to help your organization understand how to best leverage Microsoft for your specific environment. We've seen many organizations not fully utilizing what they already own. Interlink's certified licensing experts offer a Free Microsoft Licensing Health Check to help your organization optimize and license appropriately.
Additionally, Interlink offers a self-service Microsoft 365 eLearning solution that saves your organization time and money by keeping your organization's knowledge workers up to speed and productive through on-demand training. Take full advantage of Windows 11 for Enterprise today!