Dreading the move to Windows 11?

Having used Windows since I was a sprog back in the good old Windows 95 days, I’ve seen my fair share of operating system changes as I aged my way through life, I watched the evolution of Windows 98, Windows ME, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8,8.1, and then with 10, I felt Microsoft finally got it.

With the ghosts of previous migrations still haunting me, I’m talking about you Vista, and 8/8.1. I feel that same sense yet again, but this time it’s different, I feel I’m backed into a corner of sorts.

As Microsoft lean on their ever-growing presence in our tech driven world, we’re forced again to make the move to the next incarnation of Windows, affectionately known as Windows 11.

I’m all for improvements and change, as long as they bring benefits.

I look back at how blasé we were, simple passwords, minimal security provisions, Windows updates that caused more problems than resolved. We all in some way adopted the Kiwi ‘she’ll be right’ attitude.

In 2025, that’s changing. Data breaches and scams, are all too common, even making it down into little old New Zealand. That old adage of she’ll be right, needs to change to “I don’t want that to be me”.

So, what is next as a business owner and even an end user? Well, ultimately, we’ve got to start at the source. If you had a moment to read last week’s article about this change, it mentioned risk vs reward.

What are my risks if I do not upgrade? 

Compliance: Most companies require some sort of compliance with regard to the level of patching and security in order to connect to their services. Why? Because they don’t want to be implicated in any security incident.

Compatibility: This almost goes hand-in-hand with Compliance. As vendors opt to reduce support for end-of-life software, you’ll quickly find yourself unable to access those all-important services. Imagine coming to work to find you can’t access the bank because your operating system isn’t compatible, leaving you unable to pay your staff.

Finally, your overall IT environment: Ever left the door open at home and found the neighbour’s dog wandering around having a great time? Well, the same could be said for continuing to run an end-of-life operating system. How would you feel if someone waltzed through your open door and helped themselves to your computer? When you no longer have a supported operating system, you get vulnerabilities that allow the same access to your data.

The reward of upgrading?

Well, put simply, you won’t be worrying about falling behind. You can sleep easy knowing that you’re at least one step ahead. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of other requirements for securing computers, but this is probably the most important one.

It’s time you start discussing the next steps with your I.T. Partner before it’s too late. October is literally just around the corner.

– Kris