What We Know So Far About Windows 11 & How It Will Impact Your Business

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What We Know So Far About Windows 11 & How It Will Impact Your Business

At the end of June, Microsoft made a major announcement. It introduced Windows 11, the next iteration of the Windows operating system.

This comes a little more than four years before Windows 10 is due for retirement in October of 2025. While this upgrade might not be as consequential as Windows 10 was, any operating system version upgrade represents a significant adjustment for companies and their IT infrastructure.

With Microsoft stating that Windows 11 is coming around the holidays of 2021, and rumors that it might be as soon as October, companies don’t have a lot of time to prepare if they want to keep their infrastructure modern.

We’ll go through the things we know about Windows 11 so far as to the features you can expect. We’ll also discuss ways that this OS version update will affect your business. 

What Can Users Expect When Upgrading to Windows 11

The overall theme of Windows 11 is simplicity and efficiency. The look of the OS is much cleaner and less busy than Windows 10. It also incorporates a lot of features designed to help users handle tasks in less time.

Here’s an overview of what users can expect.

Simplified Start Menu

The Start menu in Window 11 is going to look a lot different. It drops the left menu and boxed groups of apps, and instead, uses a simplified interface with pinned apps at the top.

The Windows icon has been moved from the left of the taskbar to the middle. The search bar has also been removed from the taskbar and can be found at the top of the Start menu.

All Windows 11 images are from Microsoft

Rounded Windows & More Themes

Another example of the “Zen-like” look and feel of Windows 11 is the use of rounded corners on windows and more translucent window animations.

You’ll also find several new light and dark themes that you can apply to decorate your desktop environment.

Native Teams Integration With Click-to-Meet

Microsoft Teams has been getting several upgrades throughout the pandemic. Microsoft has been positioning the application to be the video meeting app of choice for business and home users alike.

This virtual communication and work hub application is getting a big boost by being included natively in Windows 11. Users will be able to click the Teams icon on their taskbar to start a conversation via video, audio, or chat, without even needing to open the full application.

This is going to simplify all those video calls that newly remote teams make throughout the day and encourage more virtual face-to-face interactions.

Customize a News & App Feed 

Windows 11 includes the use of widgets to build a personalized information and app feed. This will make it easier for users to get to the data they may need without having to open a browser window or app.

For example, users can add widgets to their feed for things like:

  • Weather
  • Top news stories
  • Photos
  • Calendar
  • Bing search bar
  • Stock updates
  • Task list
  • And more

More Accessibility Features

Microsoft describes Windows 11 as its “most accessible” OS yet. The operating system includes several enhancements to existing accessibility features as well as adds a few new ones, like Windows Voice Typing which adds punctuation intuitively as it transcribes.

Some of the accessibility enhancements that users can expect include:

  • Accessibility settings are easier to find
  • New sound schemes
  • More accessible light and dark themes
  • New color themes and filters
  • Redesigned Closed Caption themes

Manage Multiple Windows More Easily with Snap Layouts

The snap layouts feature of Windows 11 is designed to take the frustration out of switching between multiple windows. It will also alleviate the challenge of trying to resize windows “just right” when you need to see more than one at a time.

You have a choice of 6 different snap layout options that can handle between 2-4 windows at once.

Considerations to Prepare Your Business for an Upgrade

Upgrading the operating system of your business devices is a major project and one that you’ll want to properly prepare for.

Here are some of the things you need to consider for how this upgrade will affect your company and business processes:

  • Hardware compatibility
  • Software compatibility
  • Whether systems meet the requirements for Windows 11
  • Timing of the upgrade to minimum business disruption
  • Compatibility issues with vendor or customer PO and invoicing systems
  • Staff training on the new operating system
  • Scheduling with an IT pro to manage and test the upgrade on your workstations and other business devices

Pre-Schedule Your Windows 11 Rollout With C Solutions Today!

C Solutions can help your Orlando area business go through the preparation and rollout of Windows 11 to ensure a smooth transition.

Schedule a free consultation today! Call 407-536-8381 or reach us online.