With Windows 11 now supported by HBP’s core business applications, moving to the latest operating system from Microsoft is more of a question of “when” than “if” for businesses.
Windows 10 has been given an end of life date in 2025 giving businesses 3 years to update their devices or upgrade existing devices to avoid potential security and computability issues in the future.
Our Advice: Upgrade Your Windows Devices for Windows 11 Devices
Whilst the opportunity to upgrade for free to Windows 11 may seem appealing, we should be taking careful thought and consideration with the applications that you’re currently using as, even though the vast majority of main stream applications are now supported by us, not all may be supported just yet.
With three years to go until Windows 10 reaches it’s end of life, there is ample time to replace your devices before then. If you were hoping to upgrade some older devices to Windows 11 just to keep them compatible, rather than replacing them, then they are very unlikely to meet the minimum requirements and they will need to be replaced.
All news laptops and PCs are now being shipped with Windows 11 and, with the average lifespan of a device being around 2-3 years, we believe that skipping the free upgrade option for older devices and instead having a plan to upgrade your equipment is the best strategy.
We can help you plan this upgrade strategy and if you’d like more help simply contact us or speak to your business development manager.
Before we look at the reasons why you might consider upgrading, the follow software packages are all now supported with Windows 11 but ONLY if you’re on the versions listed below (or higher):
- Pegasus Opera 3 – Version 2.91
- Exchequer – Version 13.2.4
- Sage 50 – Version 28
- Sage 200 – 2022 R1
- KCPOS – Version 3.11
- KC Smart Stock – Version 3.2
Windows 11 is also supported on any cloud-based software of software that is automatically updated, such as:
- VisiSoft
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
If you have any questions or concerns about software compatibility, please contact our support teams who will be happy to help.
Why should you upgrade to Windows 11?
Well, the first reason you might consider would be the functionality of Windows 11 over Windows 10, however, its hard to justify an upgrade based purely on this. There have been some changes to how the taskbar and start menus work but other than this (and a facelift), most of the changes are “under the bonnet”.
From our experience Windows 11 runs absolutely great on newer devices and has been optimised to work with machines which meet the minimum requirements but adding the software to an older device can be hit or miss.
Taking Advantage of the “Free” Windows 11 upgrade
Microsoft are currently offering Windows 10 users the chance to upgrade to Windows 11 for free, assuming their device meets the minimum specification. This upgrade could be carried yourself, although this is not recommended, and we would strongly advise speaking to us before any upgrades are done.
Before carrying out any Windows 11 upgrades we will check the compatibility of both the device and any software on it to ensure that there won’t be any issues post-upgrade. We urge you to speak to our support team if you are considering a move to Windows 11.
Windows 11 Features and Benefits
With a whole host of new fuctionality and upgrades Windows 11 might just be the right choice for your business if you’re devices are less than a year old or you’re buying new ones. If that’s the case make sure you take advantage of what Windows 11 has to offer. We’ve pulled out some of our favourite benefits below:
- Modern Look & Feel – Like all updates, Microsoft have incoporated a modern look to the newest release.
- More Intuituve – A more intititve system makes it easier for you to use all it’s great features.
- Security Enhancements – Further protection of your workstation has been included in this update.
- Teams Integration – Teams is part of our every use of Windows and the newest release incorporates that.
- Docking Capabilities – Windows 11 also allows for improved docking and undocking capabilities.
- Multi- Monitor Capacity – For those who use multiple screens, the newst version has much capabilities.
You can read the full features and benefits release from Microsoft here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/windows-11-overview
If you have any questions, concerns or you’re considering moving to Windows 11 soon, please get in touch, we have offices around the country including Hull, Peterborough and Scunthorpe
