With the end-of-support date for Windows 10 looming later this year–October 14, 2025–you need to take action now so you don’t find yourself in a difficult situation. We have some tips for you as you make this transition, so we encourage you to use them to upgrade as quickly as possible ahead of the end-of-support date.
Why Take Action Now?
As is the case with most urgent situations in IT, your company’s security is on the line.
When a piece of software reaches its end-of-support date, it stops receiving updates, including the ones that keep it secure from threats and vulnerabilities. Naturally, this means that threats can really dig into it after that, as the developer no longer has an obligation to continue securing it. You can’t let new and emerging threats have their way with your business, which is exactly what will happen if you fail to upgrade away from the outdated software.
Furthermore, software that no longer receives updates also no longer receives fixes for bugs and other operational issues, which means the programs no longer offer the best user experience, from both a productivity and a usability perspective.
Windows 10 will arrive at this same fate, so you need to take action now, well in advance of the end-of-support date.
How You Should Prepare for a Windows 11 Migration
Can Your Hardware Support It?
Windows 11 is a significant leap forward, so you need to ensure all the specs are met if you want to install it on your hardware. Here are the requirements:
- The processor must either be a 64-bit processor with at least one gigahertz speed and two cores, or System on a Chip, which condenses components into a simplified configuration.
- Four gigabytes of RAM.
- 64 gigabytes of storage.
- UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), which controls the interaction between the operating system and the firmware.
- Secure Boot, which helps prevent malware from loading upon startup.
- A graphics card that is compatible with at least DirectX 12 with WDDM 2.0 driver.
- A display over 9 inches in size when measured diagonally and at least 720p resolution.
- Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
If your hardware doesn’t meet these requirements, you’ll have to acquire some that does, which is a whole other beast.
Is Your Software Compatible with It?
In a similar vein, you must make sure that your software is compatible with Windows 11. Otherwise, you’ll have to find other solutions to keep operations moving while you make the transition.
Have You Backed Up Your Data?
While you’re going through such a significant migration, you’ll have to take steps to keep your data safe from disasters. Make sure your backup solution can handle all of the best practices expected of it, including saving multiple copies, stored in different locations, including some off-site and in the cloud. Your data should be available and secure in the event you need it.
Have You Contacted Your IT Resource?
An IT resource like Coleman Technologies can help you make this transition much more manageable. We’ll work with you through each step of the migration from Windows 10, including any hardware acquisition or software implementation as needed. To learn more, call us today at (604) 513-9428.
