If you own a business and are thinking of upgrading to Windows 11, you might want to wait. Yes, even with the OS' new security features. Analyst firm Gartner is recommending its customers to take time to prepare and avoid rushing in before adopting Windows 11, according to The Register.
Specifically, Gartner's research vice president, Stephen Kleynhans, recommends businesses should do an evaluation of Windows 11 starting in 2022, before introducing an implementation phase after the second half of 2022 when Windows 11 22H2 ships.
Kleynhans did not give a precise answer as to why businesses should wait a whole year to implement Windows 11. However, it's expected that businesses, especially large companies, will require at least a few months of time and evaluation after any new OS launch just to ensure all of its usual apps work properly.
Windows 11 maturity is also another consideration, as it's always wise to give a new operating system time to mature with new security and stability updates, and the same applies to new Windows 11 drivers also.
Gartner recommends using the first half of 2022 as an evaluation and testing phase for Windows 11. This will give IT teams time to ensure all business apps and systems will be compatible with Windows 11.
Once done, Gartner then recommends a serious evaluation of Windows 11 once the 22H2 update arrives, to make sure the same tools and processes used for Windows 10 feature updates are reliable.
Windows 11 is A Marketing Opportunity for the PC Ecosystem
Even though most of Windows 11's features could have been released in a simple feature update for Windows 10, the analyst firm believes Windows 11 gives the industry something to rally behind, and create a new modern baseline in the PC space.
The problem with Windows 10's 'Windows As A Service' model was the blurred lines between outdated hardware and new feature sets. Windows 10 has been out for six years now, and getting all the Windows 10 support apps and features to operate well under 5-year-old hardware can be difficult.
With Windows 11, Microsoft was able to create a new foundation with new system requirements, to give developers more time to work on supporting newer platforms instead of trying to support both new and old hardware.
So, while the Gartner firm is recommending everyone take their time to upgrade to Windows 11, it also believes Windows 11 is a step in the right direction. It just believe that the next two years will effectively be Windows 11's adoption phase, giving IT support time to get all workstations and systems ready for the new OS.
