Microsoft doesn\u2019t plan on rolling out Windows 11 until late in 2021, but it\u2019ll probably take you that long to be ready.<\/b>
\nWhen Microsoft announced its plans for Windows 11, it was clear that it wasn\u2019t just another Windows Update exercise. The new version of Windows will require levels of hardware security support beyond anything that\u2019s been required until now. For many companies, meeting those security requirements will be painful. But in the long run, they\u2019re necessary. The original announcement has already run into some headwinds. On June 28, 2021, Microsoft\u2019s Windows team issued an update regarding the minimum system requirements for Windows and explaining in more detail what those requirements mean. In addition, the team announced that it has withdrawn the PC Health Check app that was supposed to tell you whether your systems could run Windows 11. In addition, Microsoft has r eleased a preview version of Windows 11 so that you can start getting ready for the new OS. The preview edition does NOT include the mandatory security features including requirements for Secure Boot or the requirement for Trusted Platform Module v.2.0. According to Microsoft, you can run the preview version of Windows 11 on any seventh generation Intel processor. However, when Windows 11 is released, it will require both the TPM and Secure Boot, so the first thing you should do is conduct an inventory of your Windows machines and see which meet the Windows minimum requirements and which don\u2019t. An easy way to check for the TPM is to right-click on the Windows start button, then click on Device Manager. Find Security Devices, and if the computer has a TPM that meets requirements, you\u2019ll see an entry that says \u201cTrusted Platform Manager 2.0\u201d listed. Confirming UEFI Secure Boot is implemented may take some time, as it may be different for different computers. Normally, the existence of this security feature will be disclosed on the specifications from your original purchase, but you may need to enter the setup menu for your specific PC to find out. There\u2019s no one way to do this as different makers used different methods, so you\u2019ll need to confirm with the manufacturer. Normally, Microsoft\u2019s now-removed PC Health Check app would have been an easy and quick method of checking your organization\u2019s computers, but there were some issues with it, which is why Microsoft says the app was removed until later this year. One thing I did find in testing the app is that it provided what appear to be false negatives, meaning that it would say a computer doesn\u2019t meet the minimum requirements when it in fact does. I tested in on two fairly new machines that meet all of the requirements, and the app said that both failed the test. Once you\u2019re separated the machines that can\u2019t run Windows 11, you\u2019ll know that those machines need to be put on the list for early replacement. In the meantime, Microsoft plans to continue updating Windows 10 until 2025, so you\u2019ve got plenty of time. Remember those machines are probably already old, and adding another four years to their life is probably not financially responsible. In addition, that four years gives you time to confirm that the applications you currently use will run on the new version of Windows, and get them updated if they don\u2019t. Meanwhile, if your current computers do meet the Windows 11 minimum requirements, you can set Windows 10 to take advantage of them. While the upgrade process to Windows 11 is going to be expensive for some, and annoying for others, the fact is that Microsoft is taking a big step towards making Windows significantly more secure than it has been. Right now, Windows is a favorite target for hackers, malware purveyors and other band guys, and without the hardware security support offered by modern PC platform, there\u2019s only so much Microsoft can do. For your company, this is one required step for protecting your data and your users, and while it\u2019ll certainly be expensive, it\u2019s a lot less expensive than a ransomware attack. It\u2019s also a lot less annoying that explaining to your board and your stockholders why you didn\u2019t take the steps necessary to protect yourself when they were made available well in advance. Contact Us| About| Sitemap Property of TechnologyAdvice. Terms of Service| Privacy Notice| Advertise| California – Do Not Sell My Information \u00a9 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.<\/p>\n