Should you upgrade to Windows 10?
With the release of Windows 10 and the free upgrade still available, you may be asking yourself “is now the time to upgrade to Windows 10?”
The answer to that very important question is down to many factors such as, personal user experience, compatibility and functionality. So what are the details?
New User Interface
The new user interface and the desktop provider by Windows 10 is actually a positive and great improvement on the windows 8 release. The new user interface comes loaded with new functionalities such as the new cortana bot, which can aid you on day to day working. Most importantly however, its visuals follow the same sort of design as Windows 7, so its easy to recognise and begin using. From an end user perspective, it should be an easy transition to the new operating system and not affect business as normal. One of the features that did make it from Windows 8 however is the apps. These apps however can now be found in your start menu and can be disabled if they prove to be a hindarance.
New Functionalities
One of the big reasons to switch to Windows 10 is in the added functionalities it has added to the system. As mentioned, one of the main additions they have added is the Cortana virtual assistant. This added functionality can help you on day to day usage on your machine, but also syncs data from your associated devices. This can include phones or tablets that are used for work, where you can sync data, and work whilst on the fly.
However one functionality that can be considered a pro and a con is their new data collection from your outlook, history and many other programs. Microsoft now has access to all sorts of personal data if you install windows 10 that it uses to improve the performance of their AI and assistance programs. However at the same time, this is a data leak that many businesses or individuals may class as unacceptable.
The key functionality that acts as a crux for many of the current Windows 10 users is their forced updates. Unlike previous versions of windows, you cannot schedule your own time to update windows and must adhere to Microsofts time scale. That means for promts for restarting for machine during work, or slowing PC’s having their ram eaten up by Windows processing a windows update. On top of this, these updates or new drivers are not always compatible with all systems, and is having problems integrating into work enviroments.
Another “new” feature that has been released is the new way to access safemode. Unfortunatly Microsoft seem to have removed the ability to launch safemode until after you boot up Windows. If you have trouble accessing Windows or need to go straight to safemode, you will no be unable to do so unless you create bespoke settings for yourself.
Compatibility
If you have been reading up on Windows 10, you will find that compatibility has been a real issue thus far. This is due to many drivers for devices, different software and even general functions have either been overlooked or not designed for. A prime example of this is their take on reading DVDs. Windows 10 did not originally launch with the ability to read DVD’s and the only way to do so is to download a 3rd party App or buy Microsofts media player. This will set you back over £10 to access this function, which can be costly to some businesses that still use this type of media.
Despite Windows 10 being a combination of Windows 7 & 8, it’s compatibility options, especially for businesses can be frustrating. For some standard software, you will need to run the programs in compatibility mode just to get them working. This however can be a lengthy process, and doesn’t always work. On top of this, the only other option offered by Microsoft to solve the issue is to run the programs as administrator. While this is fine for personal users, business owners can’t afford to allow all of their staff full administrative powers over their local machines.
Having said this, Windows 10 is still a combination of Windows 7 & 8, which means that most software and Applications should work without too much trouble. Many of the major problems come with backwards compatibility to XP which is of course no longer supported. Any software/applications that were based or originated on windows 7 & 8 however should run without too many issues.
Upgrading from an older operating system
Upgrading from Windows 7 & 8 is easy, as Windows 10 utilises many of the same aspects from the two previous operating systems. This makes upgrading normally quite a simple process. It is important to note however the free upgrade offer isn’t available for devices running Windows XP, Windows Vista or Enterprise editions of Windows. Not every device eligible for upgrade will run every feature of Windows 10. Another plus to any who are looking to move is that until the 29th of July, you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free!
So should you make the move?
In our professional opinion, we would not currently recommend businesses to upgrade to Windows 10 at the present time. There are currently many issues not just with Windows 10 but also Office 2016 which can cause problems for businesses. Whilst we fully believe that the issues with Windows 10 will be ironed out in the near future, it is somewhat of a risk to move your whole business infrastructure at this point.