Let’s face it, upgrading your business OS to the latest version of software is a stressful and challenging dilemma, especially a behemoth like Windows 10. Many users are loathing the leap to Windows 10 and rightfully so, considering past debacles. Today we’re disregarding Windows strategic agenda and focusing solely on your needs. Here’s what you should know when deciding if a major upgrade is good for your company.
Hardware and Software Check
- Are any of your workstations or servers operating below specifications? If there’s something wrong with your business’s technology, you might think that upgrading to a more recent model can resolve the issue. However, if you’re experiencing slow network speeds or other technical difficulties, you could be dealing with other problems that don’t necessarily require a hardware upgrade to fix.
- Has your business been experiencing growth? If your business is growing at a fast pace, your network might have difficulty keeping up with the demand. Therefore, you may need to upgrade your network’s hardware in order to facilitate the amount of traffic it experiences. Otherwise, you could be dealing with a slow network and decreased productivity.
- Is your current operating system supported? In other words, are you currently receiving patches and security updates from Microsoft for your servers and workstations? If not, your business could be exposing itself to malware, viruses, and other nasty online threats.
- Do you have any legacy software that’s dependent on specific operating systems? One major reason that organizations don’t upgrade their technology consistently is because they just can’t do so without sacrificing legacy software. This happens when a piece of software isn’t compatible with more recent operating systems. Therefore, you need to ensure that you aren’t using legacy software that will be complicated by a switch to a new operating system. Is this software supported? What’s preventing you from getting the most recent version?
Ed Bott posted a discussion in the Ed Bott Report back in May, summarizing different Windows 10 packages that are available. I highly suggest looking to this guide when deliberating on what Windows 10 edition is right for you. And remember, July 29th marks the deadline for your free upgrade to the new version.